A fair amount of Dutch onions are still waiting to be harvested. "There is still a considerable amount in the ground. Growers are eagerly awaiting stable, dry weather. These circumstances are holding the market in its grip," says 
Arie van Baalen van River Onions.
"There has been an enormous demand for onions in recent weeks. We were expecting the worst-case scenario with an average, good crop. This was despite the dry conditions. It was due to the area expansion. However, onion prices are at a stable level of between €0,17 and €0,19. We did not expect that," he says.
"The export figures reflect the wide demand for onions. Exports to Africa is always stop-start. But I do not see them falling away. Further away, destinations like Malaysia is well on the market. Closer by, there are already early demands from Poland and Italy. We are, for example, sending many red onions to Italian packers. We send them in big bags, and they repackage them into small bags for the supermarkets."
River Onions does not only grow red onions. They are also bringing an increasing number of pink onions to market. They do so under the Flamingoo Onions label. For sales, River Onions works with Mulder Onions.
"All in all, there is a good balance in the market. But, the onion trade is subject to the weather. We will see if everything is harvested. If the weather does as predicted, I expect all the onions to be brought in from the fields. Their quality is a different story. That is more difficult to predict. There will, however, be quite a lot of onions that will need to be sold quickly," expects Arie.
"If we do not harvest all the onions, the situation will change completely. A huge volume of onions will be missing. Prices will, therefore, rise sharply."
For more information:
Arie van Baalen
River Onions
1 Verdrietweg
5306 HB Brakel, NL
Mob: +31 (0) 653 469 881
arie@river-onions.nl
www.river-onions.nl