Quebec onions feel summer’s heat

“In Quebec, due to the really hot weather that we got in July, the total volumes are there. But the difference this year is the onions will be smaller than normal. It’s from that heat and the onions got less water than normal in July,” says Mario Cloutier of Groupe Ethier Inc. in Mirabel, Que.

In July, the province of Quebec saw a severe heat wave of repeat days hitting 100+ºF temperatures that caused more than 70 deaths in the province.

The overall tonnage for onions is similar to last year though, notes Cloutier, who adds that Groupe Ethier is a 12-month supplier of onions. “And consumers won’t see the size difference,” he says. “For smaller sizing, while we normally size them at 2 ¼ inches, now it’s 2 inches.”

Demand isn’t where Group Ethier would like to see it either, though the circumstances are normal. “Right now, the market is lower than it’s supposed to be,” says Cloutier. “There are some smaller growers who don’t have any storage and at this time of year, they’re not hitting the panic button to push product out right now but give them a few weeks and you’ll see that happen.”

That’s put pricing slightly down as well. While last year at this time, pricing was around $17-$18, it’s now sitting around $15. “Demand will pick up in November and December,” he says. “That’s when those smaller growers are gone from the market, around Christmastime.”

For now though, Cloutier pegs this summer as one a terrible one to move on from. “This season it was horrible with the heat—it was quite something,” he says, though he adds that despite that, there’s no product damage and no loss of acreage either.