At Sorteerbedrijf D'Hont in Groede, the last onions are currently being brought in. "We are late, but had late-sown plots and could not irrigate everywhere. Only after the rains in August did growth pick up there," says Jaap D'Hont, who expects to have all the onions in next week. "The yields are very variable for us, but were not too bad on most plots. We have had some over 50 tons per hectare, but on plots where there was no possibility of irrigation, there are also plenty of 30-35 tons."
"There may have been a slightly smaller area of yellow onions this year, but with the higher kilo yields, there are plenty of onions nationwide this year. Fortunately, exports ran very well in the first few weeks of the season, but we need that too. Listening to the exporters, things have calmed down in the last few weeks. Prices have been very stable recently. I don't expect any major changes in the coming weeks either. There is not much compelling supply. In my opinion, the trade has enough stock and there is no real need to buy extra. But if exports keep running like this, the trade will still have to go out to the farms, and certainly the really coarse lots will remain scarce."
"The only thing that worries me is the pressure from fusarium. It's not only us that suffers from it, but it's a problem nationwide. Optical graders are also struggling to remove the last fusarium from a lot, especially if it is still in an early stage," the grader continues. "Furthermore, with the red onions, we saw some concerns about seed germination prior to the season, but afterwards everything has come up and the red onions are on average too thick, leaving us well into the size 40-60. Fortunately, we have our sales to the shops, because if you have to depend on exports for red onions this season, I certainly see it looking bleak for the small sizes in the coming period."
For more information:
Jaap D'Hont
Sorteerbedrijf D'Hont
Noordweg 1
4503 PE Groede
Tel: 0117 371606
[email protected]
