The onion market is currently very calm. “The price decreased sharply in recent weeks. We are now at a price of about 12 cents per bale. That means six cents were knocked off the price in a very short span of time, which means the entire sector is losing quite a bit of money,” says Leon van Meir from the potato and onion packing station of the same name in Steenbergen, the Netherlands. “Farmers are now losing confidence in the trade a bit, and if batches are already shooting, they will have to give in.”
“That decrease is not unexpected, but it is surprising that it is going this quickly. By now, prices are somewhat stabilising again, and I expect this level to last a bit longer. Export is sparse, so hopefully we will get some new destinations. Compared to last year, Brazil is not continuing with import because of the large supply of local onions, and onions have also grown well in Eastern Europe. We will have to take it one day at a time,” Leon says.
“I was not feeling very confident before the season started, but prices remained at a fair level for quite some time, but now it has finally collapsed,” Leon continues. “A falling market is damaging to everyone, but it cannot always be stopped. Fortunately, quality of the onions is good, and there is not much loss. Sales of red onions are also going fairly well, they are a bit more constant in price, if you have the quality.”
For more information:
Van Meir Uien B.V.
Boonhil 8
4651 VW Steenbergen