Demand in the onion market has fallen sharply in recent weeks. "All demand is concentrated on the supers, with a small share going to coarse sizes, but demand for the middle grading is lagging behind, both for red and yellow onions," says Dignus Boone of onion grading and packing station Bowa from Waarde. "We clearly see this reflected in pricing. Supers in bales are fairly stable at around 25–26 cents, coarse onions are priced at around 22 cents per bale, but middles are now selling for 18–19 cents, while triplets are at around 17–18 cents."
Jozé, Dignus, and Jan Boone of Bowa
"Looking back at the first half of the season, we are satisfied. Large volumes were shipped, and margins were normal," the packer explains. "However, the major African markets that absorbed large volumes during the early months of the season have now disappeared. That makes the situation more challenging for the time being, as demand from Europe alone is insufficient to fill that gap. In the past, Russia would step in at this point in the season, but we have been missing that market for many years now, which has made the balance somewhat uneven."
"The quality of onions is very mixed overall. I am not entirely disappointed, but you really need to search carefully for good batches," says Dignus. He is less optimistic about the remainder of the season. "I do not expect much improvement in the coming months. I do not have a crystal ball, but there are still a lot of onions to be sold before the season is finished."
For more information:
Dignus Boone
BoWa
Weelweg 19
4414 AW Waarde
[email protected]
www.bowabv.nl
