"The situation on the Belgian onion market is comparable to that in the Netherlands. There is still little supply available and the prices are very high. In Zeeuwse-Vlaanderen all of the onions have been cleared out. The quality of the onions that are still here, is still relatively good but because the prices are so high it's no longer profitable to sort them," says a Belgian packager. "The prices for the grower are high and we don't receive enough for the sorted product." The packager buys his onions sorted in the Netherlands and packages them in Belgium.
The first Egyptian import onions are expected in ten or so days and onions from New Zealand are already on the market. "The New Zealand onions are a lot more expensive than the Egyptian ones, but they are better quality. The situation for red onions is even more extreme than those of yellow. The coarse sizes are very expensive, but they are almost done and the fine sizes are a lot cheaper." according to the packager. "I expect the bad situation to influence the planting for next year. In the Netherlands where the turnovers were good we are expecting more to be planted. In Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, where the harvests were bad, less will be planted."
The packager is disappointed the market is so blocked. "There is no margin anymore and this makes the situation for the onion packagers very negative. We hope next year is a better season than this one."