The German onion harvest is as good as done - the southwest of Germany is already finished, in the north and east some 25% remains on the fields. All in all and despite everything that happened, it was a relatively relaxed year. "Sometimes it was almost somewhat boring," says Daniel Voll from Vau-Ge Voll LLC in Bobenheim-Roxheim, who is glad that things are not so hectic for once.
In 2019, Voll had a record year with his Italian cultivation: "2020 was also a good season, but not nearly as good as 2019, which was an absolutely exceptional year". He also has his eye on his neighbors in the Netherlands: "There were quality problems in the south of the country, but due to the constantly growing area under cultivation, this was not really reflected in the volumes grown. In Germany, he says, the winter and summer seasons went off without a hitch.
Despite Corona, everything was within bounds: "At the beginning, everyone naturally had reservations, as we didn't know how long the situation would last. I had expected that the harvest in Italy would be a problem, but thanks to mainly mechanical harvesting, everything went smoothly. I also attribute this to the solid logistics and good personnel management."
Vau-Ge has also shifted the volumes traded to the food retail trade: "The catering trade has suffered and is still suffering. The measures certainly raise the inhibition threshold for many consumers".
Voll continues: "There are winners and losers in any situation, but the Coronavirus is a big loss for most. We were lucky, but there are industries that have lacked a stable income for months. 2020 will certainly be remembered by everyone..."
How the 20/21 season will develop is still in the stars. Corona remains a factor, but also the prices in the trade: "The Indian export ban ensures that the Netherlands can send large quantities of red onions to Asia to cover the market there. The German quantities are too small to have a major influence on this development, but they are benefiting from the high prices this has created in Europe," Voll concludes.
For more information:
Daniel Voll
Vau-Ge GmbH
Roxheimer Straße 24, 67240 Bobenheim-Roxheim
Telefon: +49 (0 62 39) 60 43
Fax: +49 (0 62 39) 31 96
Mail: vaugezwiebeln@vau-ge.de
Web: www.vau-ge.de