At the start of 2025 in the Netherlands, there were market concerns about downward price movements in January and flat prices in February, potentially indicating a lackluster second-half export season. These concerns were reinforced by Senegal's government, which banned further onion imports on January 25, 2025. Similarly, other European countries, such as the UK, were also reported to have begun decreasing onion import volumes.
However, by March 2025, the market began to turn bullish as participants grew uncertain about the quantity of onion stock available for purchase. Export figures from August to December 2024 were significantly higher than expected, indicating limited remaining stock. As a result, buyers returned to the market to fulfil orders before prices rose further due to tightening supplies. This led to strong bullish sentiment from April through the end of May, with participants reporting consistently higher demand than supply.
The onion price reported by Expana for Onion Yellow 45-65/50-70mm NL peaked at EUR 670/mt on July 18, 2025. This represented a 57.6% increase compared to the same period last year, when prices reached EUR 425/mt. According to the latest figures from Global Trade Tracker, export quantities in Q1 2025 reached 472 thousand metric tonnes, 15.5% higher than Q1 2024, which recorded 408 thousand metric tonnes.
Market participants have noted that demand for onions began to taper off in June, partly due to high prices and also in anticipation of the peak harvest season, typically running from July to September. As of June 25, 2025, the latest reported price stands at EUR 590/mt, reflecting an 11.9% week-on-week decline.
Source: Mintec/Expana
