Things do not seem to be going right in the Dutch onion market, and last week, growers were getting €0.70. "Everyone thought things would change after the Berlin trade fair," says Jan Franje of Franje Onions. "But sales have been all over the place since early Monday morning. The news about the floods in New Zealand might have played a role in that, too."
"Everyone says their onions are running low. We also only have a limited supply, but there being virtually no free onions for sale now is also being hyped up a bit. Yet, exports are quiet. Many customers already thought bale prices were high, but that's set to rise even more," Jan continues.
"Demand is noticeably increasing in Europe after those buyers had been well aware of the situation for weeks. Unusually, too, is that conventional onion prices are higher than those of organic onions. And I hear that a lot of organic onions have been cleared out of the conventional circuit."
Red onions are currently an exception. "They're definitely not competing; in fact, I'm getting a lot of red onions from elsewhere in Europe. Last year, due to the shortages, red onions prices were high. It seems more of these onions have been sown everywhere," Jan explains. When asked if the current market situation is nice to deal with, he answers: "It has two definite sides. We'll know if it was good when we reach the end. There's so much money changing hands; it's quite dangerous at present."
For more information:
Jan Franje
Franje Onions
10 Gawege
4414 NB, Waarde, NL
Tel: +31 (0) 113 501 658
Email: info@franjeonions.nl
Website: www.franjeonions.nl