Onion exports are still on an upward trend. "I didn't expect it to go like this earlier this week, but the bale price for medium and large onions is already between 40 and 42 cents for delivery next week, and for the supers, it's at 45 cents," says Marius Jansen of J. Jansen & Zonen Uienhandel from Kruiningen.
That a price rise was coming was not a complete surprise to the onion trader. "Here and there, we already saw mildew appearing at the start of the season. On top of that, we started at a lower price level, which meant we were able to keep exports going quite well. The industry in Poland also made quite a dent in onion stocks. That must have surprised many people. More onions were sold than we all expected."
Marius and his son Jaco Jansen
"And we're still staying very busy at the moment. Demand is quite broad and comes from the UK, Germany, Poland, the former Eastern Bloc, and Africa is also back on the market," Marius continues. "I am therefore very satisfied. As a company, we really had an excellent year for exports to Poland. Fortunately, we were also able to plant and sow properly this year. However, especially here in the southwest, the onions did go through a dry period, so now it remains to be seen what the new harvest will look like."
"I personally think the impact of speculators in the market is not that significant. The onions are with the traders and a few independent farmers, but the stock is still quite small. If demand stays like this, I wouldn't be surprised if the price continues to rise to around 50–55 cents per bag by the end of the season. But onions are always unpredictable, and things have often turned out differently than we thought."
For more information:
Marius Jansen
J. Jansen & Zonen Uienhandel B.V.
Hansweertsestraatweg 41
4416 ND Kruiningen
Tel: +31 (0)113 382932
[email protected]