Last week, onion export figures again reached the 12.000-ton mark. "Not fantastic but, on the other hand, not non-existent," says Adriaan van Belzen of the Dutch company, Daily Onions.
"The overseas demand is very limited. Israel is asking for onions. The demand from the United Kingdom is quite good. Eastern Europe is also on the market. However, they are getting many onions from the east."
"Now, we have to wait for the large volumes of import onions. Quite a few Chinese onions have already arrived, and there was nothing wrong with their quality. There are also Chinese onions in England."
"Now we have to wait for the rest of the import onions. These will arrive here from all corners of the world. Countries we have never even heard of are now sending onions to Europe," Adriaan continues.
"In week 10, the first New Zealand onions will arrive. I took a trip to New Zealand and Tasmania and the quality of their onions is fantastic. They will, absolutely, send more onions to Europe. The European market, with its price level, is of enormous interest to them."
"In other years, companies there would make more money in Japan. The UK has closed big contracts with growers in New Zealand too. This has not happened for several years," he adds.
Adriaan was in New Zealand / Australia last week. There he saw nice, large onions.
The current bale price for medium-sized onions is between EUR0,45 and EUR0,47. Large onions are selling at EUR0,51 or EUR0,52. "A few months ago, many people thought the price would go in the EUR0,70 direction. However, I do not see that happening any time soon", Adriaan says.
When asked if he thinks it is a good year, he answers, "No, I do not. Years like this are good for realizing that shortages can occur too. But, in the end, there are few winners. There is also a lot of additional competition."
For more information:
Daily Onions BV
Mob: +31 (0) 654 225 886
adriaan@dailyonions.com
www.dailyonions.com