British onions running 7-10 days late
Jayne Dyas from British Growers said it is still early days to be sure of volumes, crops have still to reach stores and be cured but the estimate at the moment is 466,000 tonnes.
The cold and windy spring has resulted in some crops maturing later than normal, harvest is 7 to 10 days later than normal. Following a prolonged dry spell from the end of June through July, it is now cooler, wetter weather which is allowing bulb size to bulk up according to Jayne.
Sizes have been variable to date and quality is unknown until the crop is in store.
Demand this year has been static, but over the last few years consumption of onions has increased in the UK. Consumer will also choose British onions over imported ones according to Jayne.