"A few large sizes determining onion prices"

The situation on the onion market is complicated at the moment. "Farmers are consistently getting about 10 euros for nice, large sizes. This is because traders are experiencing shortages. These are, however, not in proportion with demand, which is why margins are hard to come by", says Martijn van Damme of the Dutch onion and potato exporter, Dacomex.

"There is a higher demand for the larger onions (60-80), with a very limited demand for medium-sized ones. The sales price is, then, also only about 09 euros. It is really the larger sizes that make up for this. The demand for the larger sizes is mainly from Southern Europe and Brazil. The medium-sized ones go to Africa and the Carribean. Other than that, the market is relatively calm", says the exporter.

"If the export figures do not rise within the next little while, there will, at the very least, be more than enough onions until the end of the season. This is despite the corrected CBS yield prognosis figures. This is, currently, the determining viewpoint in the market."

For more information:
Dacomex
46 Provincialeweg
Sint-Maartensdijk
Tel: +31 (0) 166 662 550
Fax: +31 (0) 166 664 260
martijn@dacomex.nl
www.dacomex.nl