The export of onions was not at a particularly high level in recent weeks. “The market is currently leaning slightly more towards demand, possibly as a result of the Ramadan, but that will only be a brief bump. Overseas export is fairly poor,” says William Nannes of J.P. Beemsterboer Food Traders. “Export figures fluctuate around 13,000 tonnes per week. Together we will have to have weeks of 16,000 to 18,000 tonnes per week in order to get rid of everything.”
The bale price of onions is currently between 19 and 20 cents for Africa and 24 cents for Brazil. “Important for good export is that the prices do not rise any further. I understand that packers will have to go on the road, but if onions become 23 or 24 cents, destinations will be lost. With countries such as New Zealand, Spain and Egypt there are plenty of alternatives,” Nannes says.
“And so many countries are not being supplied currently. It is purely Europe, Africa and Brazil a little bit, but overseas destinations remain particularly calm,” Nannes continues. “In addition, the quality of Dutch onions is nothing to write home about. There are still good onions, but you have to search for them. What I am hearing is that many farmers are stuck with there onions. And only time can tell whether that is rightly so.”
