The Dutch red onion market has never been this tight. "The onions are much smaller on average, so yields are disappointing, and there are no supers (75+) anywhere. With a 24% shrinkage in acreage, there are too few onions left in the Netherlands," says Carl van de Wiel of Agro Centre Holland.
Linda Schokker and Carl van de Wiel
"There are also quality issues like sun damage and fusarium. All that makes for a very challenging market situation. The onions are too expensive, so many overseas and European customers are staying away. Exports are, thus, very quiet."
"Grower sell their onions for no less than €0.50 at the moment. I also doubt they'll release their onions for less now, other than for quality reasons. Bales are priced at around €0.40 for the middle sizes and €0.80 to €0.85 for large ones," Carl continues.
"And what red onions you can get are hard to sell. From the Far East, countries like China are in the way with much lower prices. Demand usually rises in the season's second half - always the main export period for red onions - but with all the quality problems, it's a difficult year."
Shallots have, however, been dealt very different cards. "They're priced at around a euro which is actually too low. There's plenty of supply from France, pushing prices down quite a bit. But it's too early to make a forecast about this market since many countries still have shallots in the ground. But my expectations for this year aren't too high," Carl concludes.
For more information:
Carl van de Wiel
Agro Centre Holland BV
8 Neerhof Street
4761 BM, Zevenbergen, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 168 371 230
Email: info@red-onion.com
Website: www.red-onion.com