Luis Torres Centeno, from the Shuman Produce Company, a business dedicated to the production and export of sweet yellow onion whose main buyer is the United States, said that the conventional onion market was very volatile but that there had been more good seasons than bad ones in recent years.
New markets for each calibre
Luis recalled that, in the late nineties, the USA was their only market and that it was only for the jumbo and colossal calibres. At that time, he said, there was no market for smaller calibres, as the domestic market was void because Peru only consumed red onion.
"The good news is that we have begun opening markets in other countries in recent years," he said, adding that, "these markets are growing exponentially, while the United States remains our biggest buyer."
The markets Luis is talking about are the European market, where the Netherlands and Spain are the main buyers, and the markets of Panama and Central America that are also growing rapidly.
Currently, with the opening of new markets, Peru is destining the medium calibres to Europe, where they are well paid, and the smaller sizes to Panama and Central America.
"This is very positive and has made our activity more profitable. Peru's domestic market has also began opening up to the consumption of sweet yellow onion, although in small amounts," said Luis.
According to the exporter, the export of red onions has a slightly longer way to go, since its genes are more varied and they have a larger number of varieties that have no uniformity in colour, size and shape, making it very difficult to standardize export volumes in large quantities.
The start of the 2014 onion season is showing positive signs for Peruvian producers.
"This year's season started better than in 2013. We have a high performance, are not experiencing pest problems and the mood in the sector is very good. It seems like it's going to be a positive year."
The production of organic onions in Peru
According to Luis, organic onions have a good market in the United States, but it is difficult to involve the conventional onion producer in their production because they aren't motivated by the businesses price/yields.
"Instead of trying to convince conventional onion farmers to make room for ecological onions in their fields we should focus on searching for medium and small farmers who are already working with other organic crops," he said.
According to Luis, the small organic farmers could be interested in growing organic onions because that business has a relatively low risk.
"The interesting thing is that the organic onion has a much lower price fluctuation, it is a much more stable business with a guaranteed market in which the producer is not risking much," stated Luis Torres.
Luis Torres Centeno
SHUMAN PRODUCE
Panamericana Sur Km. 267 – Villacurí – Ica.
T.: (51)-56-509330(51)-56-509330
sistemas@shumanperu.com
www.shumanperu.com