As the ongoing Netherlands export season enters its 37th week, it's trailing behind the previous season by 13%. However, amidst this, there's also a big achievement: in 2023 the export turnover has surged by a staggering 49%, shattering the epic barrier of 1 billion euros. Despite this, the export volume counter is proceeding more cautiously compared to previous years, currently standing at over 850,000 tons.
Another season of extremes
The Netherlands experienced an exceptionally erratic growing season, characterized by substantial variations in harvest sizes nationwide. Some regions endured nearly 40 consecutive days without rain—a record-breaking dry spell for the country. Conversely, July brought prolonged and heavy rainfall, with all its ensuing consequences. It was a season of both drought and excess precipitation, resulting in yield issues, diminished average sizes, and a scarcity of large onions, particularly in southern areas.
Expanding reach in Africa
Similar trends are seen in African destinations like Mauritania, Mali, Equatorial Guinea, and Gambia. Substantial quantities of Holland Onions are also being received at the quays of the Seychelles, the smallest African country consisting of 115 islands, as well as at the ports on the other African archipelago, Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean. Dutch onions find their way to diverse corners of the globe. Brazil is back in demand, and increased quantities of Holland Onions are also being shipped to Eastern European destinations such as Azerbaijan, Croatia, Montenegro, and the Czech Republic.
The total area dedicated to Dutch seed onions reached 29.3 thousand hectares, marking a 6.7 percent increase of 2,000 hectares compared to 2022. This rebounded from a 9 percent decrease in cultivation area the previous year, returning to 2021 levels. Yellow seed onions accounted for 87 percent of the area (compared to 82 percent in 2022), with red seed onions occupying the remaining 13 percent.
According to final figures from the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the gross yield per hectare of yellow seed onions in 2023 is estimated at 46.2 tons, nearly 2 percent higher than in 2022. Additionally, the total cultivated area expanded to over 25 thousand hectares, a surge of almost 14 percent from the previous year. This resulted in the harvesting of nearly 1.2 million tons of yellow seed onions, representing an increase of almost 15%. Approximately 1.1 million tons of the harvested yellow onions are available for the export market.
With a yield of 42.3 tons per hectare, the production of red seed onions also saw an increase compared to the previous season, up by 5.8%. However, red seed onions were cultivated on nearly 4 thousand hectares in the Netherlands, marking a 20 percent decrease from the previous year. The total harvest of red seed onions in the 2023 season amounted to 157 thousand tons, representing a reduction of over 20 percent from the previous year.
For more information:
Holland Onion Association
Tel: +31 79 368 11 00
Email: info@holland-onions.org