The first harvests of early onions in Spain are expected from the second week of April in the producing areas of Andalusia and Murcia.
The weather conditions have been suitable for this crop, allowing for improvements in terms of both yields per hectare, which will be higher than last season, when production fell by between 20 and 30%, and quality, thanks to the absence of torrential rains. While the 2015-2016 campaign was also marked by the absence of large sizes, a wide range of these is expected this season.
"The prospects remain very favourable for now, although we are at a critical moment when storms could take a huge toll at the start of the campaign," points out Alfonso Tarazona, president of the Spanish Association of Growers and Exporters of Onions and manager of Cebollas Tara.
According to the representative, the planted onion acreage has increased slightly compared to last year, partly thanks to the good results achieved in the recent campaign.
Optimal market conditions
The season will start with optimal market conditions, given the small volumes in storage, result of the lower production in the last harvest. "There are fewer onions stored in chambers than last year and demand remains high, which has pushed prices to around 0.60 Euro per kilo for calibres 3-1," explains Alfonso Tarazona.
Moreover, the low quality of Dutch onions this year, as warned by exporters from this country, together with the high prices of New Zealand onions, will play in favour of Spanish onions. "We expect to have very good business opportunities in Brazil this year," stated Tarazona.
