"We market both our own production from Albacete and onions from other Spanish production areas, as this allows us to offer a complete supply service to our customers, 90% of which are outside Spain. Each year, we expand our onion acreage, both in Castile-La Mancha and Andalusia, as we increase our customer base, striving to ensure that at least 80% of the onions we sell are of our own production," explains Eduardo Pérez, commercial director of Cebollas Cifuentes.
The export of spring onions is more limited due to its short shelf-life, which is why the company mainly ships to other European countries, and doesn't usually load it in containers, although there are also exceptional cases sometimes, as was the case with Brazil two years ago, where they had a great shortage.
"So far, all the spring onions we have received are high quality ones, with even more skin than other years, considering it is an early onion. It is worth noting that, in recent campaigns, we have seen improvements in the quality of the early onions, mostly due to the varieties planted and to the handling."
Prices with great fluctuations
According to Eduardo Pérez, as greater volumes enter the markets, onion prices at origin are falling. "With this type of onion, you don't have the option of storing it for a long time and speculating with prices, since the shelf-life is shorter than that of medio grano and grano de oro onions, and this has an impact on prices."
"When the first new onions arrive and they overlap with old onion stocks, there is usually a period of more than one month with great price fluctuations. It won't be until about 20 days from now, with the arrival of the onion harvest of Castile-La Mancha, the most important production area of onions for storage, when we'll start having an idea of the direction that the new campaign will take."
While prices have not been as bad as in previous years, the 2016/2017 onion campaign will close with average low prices, although stable, according to Eduardo Pérez.
The first batches of white spring garlic cost the same as last season
The harvest and sorting of white spring garlic is in full swing at the moment, with good quality and calibres. "We've enjoyed a very good weather, with rains and high temperatures, which have favoured the good growth and ripening of the garlic," points out the exporter.
"Moreover, we are making our first sales, since we already have dry garlic ready to export. Then we'll start harvesting spring violet garlic and continue with purple garlic. The first batches of garlic cost more or less the same as last year, although until we have harvested and stored it, we won't know how the campaign will develop."
Last year, Cebollas Cifuentes managed to enter new markets, given the lack of garlic coming from China, due to speculation. "We do not know if we will sell again to these countries this year, because China has increased its production a lot this campaign, just like other countries like Egypt or Spain, which has planted 20% more this year, given the high prices recorded in the most recent campaigns."
Black garlic provides 5 times the benefits of regular garlic
Since the beginning of 2017, Cebollas Cifuentes has opened a new line of business with the marketing of black garlic under the brand Black & Golden Garlic. A month ago, the product was presented at the Gourmet Exhibition in Madrid.
"Consumers are increasingly looking for healthier products and black garlic is proven to boost the properties of regular garlic." It helps protect the skin, keep cholesterol low, and is highly anticancerinogenic," affirms Eduardo Pérez.
For more information:
Eduardo Pérez
Productos Hortícolas El Hondo, S.L
02640 Almansa, Albacete. Spain
T: +34 967 582356
export@cebollascifuentes.es
www.cebollascifuentes.es