Exporter Gerard Hoekman of Mulder Onions from The Netherlands, characterises the situation on the onion market as very healthy. "The demand is wide and a lot of onions have left over the last few weeks. There is always more demand in this period, as the trade is silent in week 53, but there are also enough opportunities in the market for the rest of the season."
"When the export to Africa partially drops out, I expect other destinations to take over. East Europe is on its way. The big question is what the quality of the onions from the sheds will be like and whether it will meet the demands of certain destinations. Brazil is expected to be on the market in January and February, but they still have last year's quality on their mind and they won't get it. The question is what the response to that will be," says Gerard.
"The prices are very set, with an average bale price around 24 cents. Now people are trying to make a cent more, but this is based purely on the moment and isn't justified. But the main thing is that there is demand in the market."
