In the German province of Palatinate, the onion harvest had already ended in October, so it was necessary to buy in alternative goods from the Netherlands and Lower Saxony, at least at the company Hans A. Wüst.
Purchaser and seller Jochen Kandziora also told us that prices had risen weekly in recent months and that he had to pay between 90 and 95 euros per 100 kg bag of alternate goods when purchasing. "We are currently in the changeover phase and will soon be sourcing onions from New Zealand, South Africa and Egypt, which will be imported via the Netherlands. From mid-May, we will then add goods from Italy until we can offer our own goods again from mid-June."
Demand continues to be constant, he said. "Before the holidays, such as Easter, demand always increases a bit, with it dropping back to a normal level immediately after the holidays. It's still mainly 1kg to 2kg containers that are bought the most."
At the same time, he said, interest in the restaurant trade is still comparable to the pre-Corona period. Added to that, he said, are the enormously increased prices. "A bag of onions from Spain costs around 34 to 35 euros. Accordingly, the catering industry would have to pay 40 euros for a 25-kg bag at a C&C market. Of course, some businesses are trying to cut costs as much as possible, which is hardly possible given current conditions. Accordingly, sales are also going down enormously."
For end-consumers, the price adjustments probably won't be too much of a problem. The catering industry, on the other hand, will sometimes have to recalculate its purchasing in view of the high prices.
"A few years ago, you only had to pay 10 euros for 100 kg, which is unthinkable nowadays. No farmer can keep up with that anymore. Moreover, our Palatinate farmers can no longer find new employees. For fertilizer, pesticides used to cost 20 euros per 100 kg, which now costs between 70 and 90 euros. Growers have to pass all that on."
The red onions were much cheaper than the yellow ones, which is why there have been many promotions accordingly. For example, he said, a large discount chain has included both organic red onions and conventional red onions in its product line to increase sales and sell appropriate quantities. The price of the red ones is about 55-60 euros per 100 kg and the yellow ones are 100 euros per 100 kg."
Egyptians did not play a major role last year. At current prices, yellow onions from Egypt are now more present in the market and are putting pressure on prices accordingly. As soon as the Italian season starts from mid-May, which has to pay much lower freight costs, the price will also slowly move down.
Further Information:
Jochen Kandziora
Hans A. Wüst GmbH
Tel.: +49 (0) 6233- -3565 - 0
Fax: +49 (0) 6233- -55555
Eulerweg 21
D - 67245 Lambsheim
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.wuest-online.de