Vidalia onion producers are busy packing right now on the first day of the state-mandated Vidalia onion season. Estimates predict that volume will be down this year, which for the most part has been attributed to reduced acreage. Growers say another factor was rain during the planting season which created a few minor gaps.
"The overall total volume will be down, with total acreage reduced by 17 percent," noted Kevin Hendrix of Hendrix Produce. "There was also some rain during the planting season so a number of growers were unable to get as many onions planted as they would have liked."
The fact that overall acreage is down appears to be a reflection of the poor market conditions for Vidalia onions in the last couple of years. "A lot of people have cut back on their acreage this year because the market was terrible in recent years," said Ruth Holloway of WRX Produce. "Expectations are for there to be fewer Vidalia onions around this year than has been in the past but quality is looking good."
Holloway added that she has had to work with a number of growers to make sure the company has supply, not just for the fresh market, but also for the processed market as well as for storage. "I've been working together with growers to consolidate supplies for this year to make sure we have enough for fresh and storage onions," she said. "We send quite a lot of our Vidalia onions to dicers and other processors."
The good news is that overall growing conditions were relatively good and growers agree that quality will be high. "The crop is looking very good and we expect quality to be high this year," observed Hendrix.
Market should see improvement
While the cutback on acreage will result in fewer Vidalia onions than past years, this should help growers to attain an improved market. Something that suppliers will be keeping an eye on is the amount of storage crop onions that will be available down the track.
"The market will hopefully be a little better this year," Hendrix said. "However, we won't really know until the season is properly underway so we will wait and see. One thing we don't know is how many onions will be stored. We also export to Canada and we predict this market to be good this year."
"There are sweet onions available year-round, but the April to June window is ideal for the Vidalia crop," he added.
Set shipping date benefits industry
In the months leading up to the Vidalia season, anticipation is exaggerated for this special crop mainly due to the circumstances involving the start to the season. As many are familiar with, the ship date is set by the Georgia Department of Agriculture in consultation with the Vidalia Onion Committee and is typically announced a month or so before, giving growers time to plan their harvest and marketing programs accordingly. As Holloway explained, the set date is of benefit to the industry.
"They select the packing date to make sure the onions are at their best quality when shipped," she said. "It prevents producers from shipping early when the onions are potentially still green and immature. The Vidalia onion brand is well known around the world for its quality and the state ensures only the best quality onions are able to be marked as Vidalia onions."
For more information:
Kevin Hendrix
Hendrix Produce
Ph: +1 (912) 685-3220
kevin@hendrixproduce.com
www.hendrixproduce.com
Ruth Holloway
WRX Produce
Ph: +1 (478) 689-0406
ruthholloway53@gmail.com