What will the onion market do? "Whoever knows may say," responds Maarten van Damme of Dacomex from Sint-Maartensdijk. "It is a typical January market, and we are facing a turning point. This makes everyone cautious and hesitant to stock up."
"The last orders for Africa are currently being loaded. We saw strong exports in November and December, and I expect we will still record good export figures for early January. However, we have been largely dependent on Africa. Onion prices were lower than in the previous two years, yet exports outside of Africa were actually disappointing. Hopefully, we can still connect with other markets."
"We certainly expected more demand from destinations like the Far East this year. The Caribbean is buying onions, but not in higher volumes than usual. I had hoped that with these prices, we could export more to other destinations, but it seems we have still lost ground to Chinese onions and other local production," Maarten observes.
The bale price of onions is showing a slight downward trend, according to the exporter. "Currently, the bale price is between 22 and 24 cents, depending on the destination and size. There is some pressure on prices. Everyone is cautious and wants to secure their production. At the same time, I don't foresee a significant drop in the coming period either."
In general, onion quality is good, Maarten says. "The poorer quality onions are already off the market, and overall, I think the Netherlands has delivered good-quality onions this year. Opinions are divided on this, of course, and there will always be some bad batches, but we also have some excellent ones."
He does not expect Fruit Logistica in Berlin to have a major impact on the onion market. "It is more of a place to meet, evaluate, and look ahead, rather than a place where trade is conducted. What matters more is the local onion supply in Eastern Europe and whether it aligns with our market prices."
For more information:
Maarten van Damme
Dacomex
Tel: +31 (0)166 662 550
[email protected]
www.dacomex.nl