At this time, and until March, producers of the only Spanish onion with a PDO, the Fuentes de Ebro PDO onion, are planting the farms (in the province of Zaragoza) that will produce the 2023 harvest, hoping that the weather conditions this year will allow better results.
"In 2022, during the harvest season, which starts in July, we had many days in a row with temperatures reaching 42-43 degrees Celsius, and that caused the plantations to suffer a lot," recalls Jesús Berdusán, of Finca La Corona. "As soon as the onions were taken out of the ground, time was running against them, so in addition to the losses already recorded in the field due to the death of the plants or the destruction of the products that had been unable to reach an optimum size, there were also losses due to the more limited shelf life of the onions."
It is worth noting that onions usually have a long shelf life, but one of the characteristics that allows the Fuentes de Ebro onion to stand out is its higher water content, which also causes it to have a shorter shelf life than other varieties, said Jesús Berdusán. "Consequently, we have marketed 30% less volume in 2022 than in the previous campaign, despite having the same productive acreage."
It should also be mentioned that the weather conditions have taken a considerable toll on the onion campaign this year in Spain. According to the latest MAPA Preview of areas and production, which collects the information submitted by the autonomous regions to the Ministry, dated October 31, 2022, there has been a significant drop in the production, which in the case of the Grano and Medio Grano onions has been estimated at 23%. "However, we are hoping for a recovery of the production this season, as sweet onion is increasingly in demand."
"Fifteen years ago, only the Fuentes sweet onion existed in Spain"
The Fuentes de Ebro onion is a sweet onion, and this kind of onion currently has its own niche, which is experiencing an interesting growth in the market. "It is a much sweeter product, with a lower pungency, and it reaches increasingly higher prices than drier onions; that is why today every onion producer is exploring this alternative segment. We should recall that 15 years ago, when in season, in Spain there was only the Fuentes sweet onion, while now there is a year-round supply that is brought from South America -especially from Peru, Chile and Mexico- and from countries such as Senegal. In fact, right now Spain is the gateway to Europe for imported sweet onion."
"It is true that the sweet onion market is still very small and that in Spain its consumption is much higher than in the rest of Europe, but it is experiencing significant growth. Although it should also be highlighted that this year, in which prices have increased, consumption has contracted, as it is a more expensive product."
But, of course, not all sweet onion is a Fuentes onion. The sweet onion of Fuentes de Ebro preceded with its own name the imports available in the market today. The Protected Designation of Origin was created 
in 2010, and later, in 2013, it was registered in the European Commission's Register of Designations of Origin. Since then, consumers can identify it in the market by its official seal.
"The Fuentes de Ebro onion is the only onion in Spain with a PDO, although not everyone knows about it and more promotion is needed. Sometimes, products with a designation of origin are appreciated more positively by consumers in Europe than within our borders."
"We are the largest producers of PDO onions and, despite the results of 2022, we will remain committed to the Fuentes de Ebro onion. This year, we will maintain the same production area as in previous years," said Jesús.
For more information:
Finca La Corona
Ctra. N-232, Km. 206-300
50740 Fuentes de Ebro
Zaragoza, Spain
Tel.: 976 16 01 89
fincalacorona@gmail.com