"Luckily we made some headway with bale prices"

"If onion exports go the same way they did last year, we will have a quiet second half. Last year, 70.000 tons were sent out before Christmas. Now, yields are even worse than expected. We, therefore, expect to not have more than 750.000 tons of product available", says Eric Moerdijk. He works at Monie, an onion sorting and packing station in Nieuwdorp, the Netherlands. He finds it difficult to predict how the season will commence. "The high prices could have a restraining effect on exports. However, on the other hand, yields are on the low side all over Europe. This means there are ample opportunities. A number of overseas markets are against price increases. They are looking for alternative suppliers in surrounding countries."

"With these high prices, you must also be prepared for panic situations. You might find yourself in a situation where you sit with expensive onions that you cannot get rid of. Last week quite a few shipments went to Africa, and it was a bit busier. Now, suddenly, it is somewhat calmer. Fortunately, we made some headway with bale prices the previous week. Rising grower prices and a stable bale price is not a feasible situation in the long term", continues Eric. The current bale price is at an EUR0,20-0,22 level for triplets, EUR0,27-0,28 for medium onions, and EUR0,35-0,36 for the large and super sizes.

"Particularly in the south-west, but also in the rest of the country, the size sorting is pretty nice. As the season continues, it will, probably, become more difficult to find medium sizes. I do find that the demand for the super sizes, compared to the large sizes, to not be anything special. Growers with large, good quality onions will, in many cases, go for storage options. But no-one can tell now already how the season will go, so this is creating the necessary tension. Last year, we ended on a low, of course. So, this is also a significant turnaround in financial terms and for the processors", concludes Eric. 

For more information:
Monie Nieuwdorp
61 Hertenweg
4455TK Nieuwdorp
Tel: +31 (0) 113 612 845
eric@monie.nl
www.monie.nl