The onion trade has been running smoothly recently. “It’s a bit calmer at the moment, but it’s not the worst thing in the world, as we’ve been twice as busy recently catching up on the harvest,” says Mike de Koster of WDP Onions from Kwadendamme. He talks of an extreme onion year. “This is new for everyone in the onion trade.”
”The yield are still disappointing for almost all parties that are coming in. We are receiving variations between 6 to 10 tonnes per hectare. The sizes have improved towards the end of the season, although it is lacking compared to other years. The coarseness will primarily determine the price. The hard part is that the farmers with fine onions and poor kilos won’t get the price they need and will be hit twice as hard,” says Mike.
”And the prices for farmers this year are difficult. In other years you were sometimes able to buy a plot for the price of a neighbour, but this year you have to check every plot,” continues the packager. “Most farmers with coarse onions are understandably in no hurry to sell. Yet a reasonable amount of onions have been sold. It’s a lot of money and if your kilos are favourable, there are few risks.”
”When everyone realised that the yield were going to be really disappointing, there was more life in the market and the bale prices have been going up in the coming weeks. The prices are now around 22-23 cents for a bale of fine onions, medium is around 28-30 cents and the coarse onions are sold for 35 cents. Thankfully the prices are stabilising now, as we see that customers abroad are struggling to finance it as well. The prices are three times as high as last year.
For more information:
Mike de Koster
WDK Onions
Langeweegje 39
4434ND Kwadendamme
T: +31-(0)113-644270
F: +31-(0)113-644788
M: +31-(0)6-48380272
info@wdk-onions.nl
www.wdk-onions.nl/