"The Italian market has a 'wait-and-see' attitude, while the domestic produce is very much in demand abroad, even more than in previous years. Onion crops on a European level have remained within the average of the past few years, so current worries are excessive. The Italian market is not very lively, while demand is higher abroad," reports operator Matteo Zanarini.
"In my case, golden onions in Italy are sold between 10 and 14 eurocents depending on quality and grade, white ones are sold between 12 and 16 eurocents and red ones even reach 20 eurocents. These are not great prices compared to the past few years, but they must not be despised."
"We are exporting more than other years, which is very positive. France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands demand high-quality produce, a sign that there is little availability of premium produce in the rest of Europe. There is not much competition from Spain, so European operators contact Italian players more and more."
As regards the Italian production, Zanarini explains that "the lack of rain reduced the risk of diseases, though there have been storms in some areas, where onions have not reached the desired quality standard. There are therefore products of different types and different prices."