Last year, the Senegalese market had been open to import onions for several weeks. This year, the situation is very different, and the biggest export destination for Dutch onions still has plenty of domestic goods. However, the annual Magal de Touba festival ensures that a boat with Dutch onion sets can currently be loaded to Senegal after all. "Still, it is a one-off shipment. Because after, that the border will close again," says William Nannes of J.P. Beemsterboer Food Traders.
However, the order comes as no surprise. "It had been quiet on the market for a while, and now we can spend a few days cleaning up. This was also necessary because there are quite a few crates in front of the drying walls, so the pressure on growers to sell is quite high. With the nice weather we have at the moment, there will be plenty of onions coming in over the next few days, and early next week the first early sowing onions will also be uprooted. That makes the pressure on the onion sets, many of which have been planted again, quite heavy."
"However, I expect that once the boat to Senegal is gone, the market will again come to a standstill for a while. Ivory Coast is traditionally on the market, but destinations like the UK, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau are buying significantly less. Surely, there, as in the Middle East, we are somewhat more affected by onions from Morocco and Egypt, and in the Far East there is supply from Chinese onions. So we are getting more competitive," William observes.
"Currently, the price of onion sets is around a quarter on the bale. The small sizes are selling for 23/24 cents and the big ones between 26/27 cents, but prices are under pressure. Therefore, given the expected yields, coupled with the area expansion, things are looking bleak for pricing in my view, although this may again have benefits for exports."
For more information:
William Nannes
J.P. Beemsterboer Food Traders
+31 226396408
[email protected]
www.beemsterboer.nl