When asked what the story of the onion market is at the moment, Gerard Hoekman of Mulder Onions replied that at the moment everyone mainly has their own story. "Both those who don't have onions and those who have onions in stock. It is unclear what is currently left in onions, but onions are in demand and paying good money. Whether the bubble will pop? There is no way to make a prediction at this point."
"For now, the market is mainly reacting to onions that are not there. Nowhere in the world have extra onions been grown with the rationale that there would be shortages in Europe. This results in sky-high prices. As a result, we might miss some sales, but that is also not such a problem yet if you don't have many onions," the exporter said. "The question is where is the top in the market? 1 euro, 1.20 euro, 1.50 euro? Maybe this season we will find out that there is no price ceiling at all."
"Every day onions leave at these prices, there are still exports to Africa, England and other European destinations. You also don't need the whole world to sell the little bit of onions we have this season. I foresee that exports to certain destinations, such as Germany, could even increase a bit. However, it does become very important whether you can also deliver the desired quality. With these prices, everything is put under the microscope."
Mulder Onions receives the first New Zealand onions in week 11. Although the rainfall in Hawke's Bay has caused some damage, the damage in northern Pukehoke does not seem to be too bad. "It's not like those onions have been under water for days and so our suppliers are expecting plenty of onions," he said. Whether that will lead to sky-high demand in this market? "Everyone lives from day to day," Gerard concludes soberly.
For more information:
Gerard Hoekman 
Mulder Onions
Hagenroderstraat 32
6464 CP Kerkrade
+31(0)45 5678700
gerard@mulder-onions.com
www.mulder-onions.com