Many Dutch onion sorters were wishing for work last season. There is, however, plenty of work in this new season. "It has actually been very busy since the beginning of August," says Eric Moerdijk of the Monie sorting and packing plant in the Netherlands. "Brazil, in particular, took a lot of onions in the first weeks.
"The exports to there are quieter now. Fortunately, other countries besides Brazil are still buying considerable amounts. For example, last week, a boat loaded with onions left Vlissingen Port for Senegal. That provided quite a bit of work."
According to the packer, prices are keeping at a reasonable level. "Given the larger acreage and good yields, that is better than expected. Over the past few weeks, it was sometimes only the rain that kept prices in check. Meanwhile, quite a few onions have come in. The question is whether a large volume can still be sold overseas."
Bale prices for large onions had reached the €0,19 mark. Since then, the average price for all sizes is now at around €0,16 to €0,17. "Especially the large sizes came under light pressure due to stagnant sales. There comes a point that, besides the medium sizes, large onions must be sold too," says Eric. "The onions look good, quality-wise. They are dry matured. That is beneficial for keeping potential diseases and pests away."
"We have noticed that the seed onion sizes are smaller than the planted onions. The planted onions were under pressure in the market for longer. This is true for yellow planted onions that are still on the market but, especially for the red varieties. The season started terribly for them. Now, these red onions are slowly starting to sell," concludes Eric.
For more information:
Monie Nieuwdorp
61 Hertenweg
4455TK Nieuwdorp, NL
T: +31 (0) 113 612 845
eric@monie.nl
www.monie.nl