"Trouble is brewing on the onion market, but Dutch sorters are not making money"

There has been upheaval on the onion market in the past few weeks. "In Brazil, there was an unexpected gap in the supply chain and we took advantage of that", explains exporter, Piet van Liere. "The volume that was needed was sent here, but now we are not making any progress as the harvest is expected soon."

"Besides the demand from Brazil, Ramadan traditionally creates extra demand from Africa, but the last boats are leaving early next week. This combination of factors is creating new fluctuations in the market because there have been more than 50,000 tons of onions sold in a very short space of time", says Piet. "Sorters cannot just sit around this season; no-one has stock and when there is movement in the market, no-one must miss the boat."

"This means that prices for the farmers have made an about-turn. They were at around the zero-cent mark, but are now standing at approximately five cents, while export prices have risen by two cents at the most". In the exporter's opinion: "Sorters are experiencing a serious shortage, but there is going to be a correction in the market. The next few weeks are going to be exciting. Losing Brazil means fewer sales, but Africa is covered and it remains to be seen where the onions will go. The Eastern bloc countries are in the market, but not for these prices."

"Fortunately we have been able to export high quality onions. Here and there, there has been small problems with germs and wear, but it is already May," Piet concludes.

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