“Strong exports expected to clear large onion volumes before Christmas”

Dutch onion exports are booming this season. "Actually, we have been busy since the start of the onion sets, and this has continued into the sowing of onions," says Marius Jansen of J. Jansen & Zonen Uienhandel from Kruiningen. "Now we also have more onions than last year, but hopefully we can continue at this price level and clear a lot of onions before Christmas."

"The bale prices are very stable. Currently, medium sorting is selling at around 21 cents, coarse at 22 cents, and supers at 24 cents. Now and then a cent goes off or a cent comes in, but I don't expect any major price changes in the coming weeks," Marius continues. "Possibly a few more cents will be added once everything is in the shed, but for smooth exports, as far as I'm concerned, it's best to continue at this level."

The onion packer says the quality is similar to last year's. "Several rumours are going around, but because we export onions to Poland every week, we see all kinds of supply, and this year, there is also a regular occurrence of bacterial spot or fusarium spot. I am quite satisfied with the quality, but the onions are not entirely without issues. I also still want to see whether the MH treatment has been successful everywhere, as I find the onions are generally dying earlier."

"At the moment, slightly fewer onions are going to Poland, but they still have orders every week, and I expect that to continue. Poland itself has a slightly bigger crop, but capacity is also increasing there," Marius adds. "Currently, we are especially busy packing for Africa and Central America. Malaysia is also buying more. Container rates are also more favourable for exports."

"Red onions are a smaller business for us as a company, and that trade is now picking up a bit. However, I do question the reported acreage increase of 35%. For the first time, red and yellow onions had to be declared separately this year, and I think that plays a role here. I certainly believe there has been an expansion in red onions, but not the 35% that has been indicated."

For more information:
Marius Jansen
J. Jansen & Zonen Uienhandel B.V.
Hansweertsestraatweg 41
4416 ND Kruiningen
Tel: +31 (0) 113 382932
[email protected]