Certainties that used to be part of the onion market have disappeared. Adriaan van Belzen from Daily Onions saw the sector change over more than 24 years, but the level-headed Dutchman isn’t easily thrown. “There are no more certainties. I think the onion world mirrors the entire world.”
Adriaan trades in onions from his office in Kerkrade. He mostly focuses on export. The largest share of the onions he trades find their way to the UK, where retail, wholesalers and industry buy the onions. The past year was an eventful year in many ways for the relationship between Europe and the UK. The announced Brexit causes much uncertainty. “When Prime Minister May announced something recently, the British pound immediately dropped by a few per cent,” Adriaan says. “But much is still unknown.” He is therefore not worried much about the future of this market. “It’ll probably be alright. If border controls are introduced and more papers are needed again, it’ll be the same for everyone.”
The unrest caused by a possible ban on MH in the onion trade, also mostly passes by Adriaan. “Something else will soon be found for that. Of course, it’s another bit of uncertainty, but there are more factors influencing the export.” He mentions the unstable political situation on various large export markets, the exchange rate and the political uncertainty in Europe. “It’s an advantage that I am purely a trader, and don’t have workers or stocks. It’s different for a sorting company that is affected by these factors. Although it naturally worries me sometimes.”
Objective trade
“We don’t know where we’ll end up,” Adriaan continues. He therefore finds the things he occasionally reads in media a bit disturbing. For example, when it’s said that the onion export will increase because the world population is increasing, he wonders whether those people are considering the fact that this could also result in more onion growers. “We appear to be living in two worlds; a digital one and a physical one. In the digital world, we only listen to the people we want to listen to. On the other hand, there’s contact with people among themselves.”
He uses a metaphor to describe the onion world: “It’s as if we’re all in an aeroplane in which we’re all busy working. Then it’s suddenly announced we’re about to land but there’s no pilot and the airport we’re to land at hasn’t been built yet.”
Although many packing stations are picking up export activities, Adriaan doesn’t soon see the position of office exporter disappearing. “A packer has more interest, because he also owns stocks. When you’re solely a trader, you’re more objective and you run fewer risks. Many of the big boys who took risks 20 years ago, are no longer around now.” There will always be room for specialists in trade, he’s convinced of that. But it is important to have a good and large network. “I have been in the onion trade for 24 years, and I have a large network because of that. That’s my right to exist.” Despite doing a lot of business over the phone and not owning sheds filled with onions, Adriaan regularly sees onions. “I’m on the road a lot, especially in Zeeland, so I do see onions,” he laughs.
More information:
Daily Onions
Adriaan van Belzen