"What is certain is that we are facing a big onion crop this season. As things stand, we are going to average as much as 55 tons per hectare nationwide. The yields of the early onions were particularly good, while the later varieties are somewhat lower," says Machiel Boons of onion commissioning company Uienradar.
Still, according to the commissioner, the large harvest need not be an immediate problem. "After all, all signals are green for record exports. Bale prices are favourable, and demand is broad. Africa entered the market early, but markets such as Central America, Southern Europe, and Asia are also now joining in. We need to export more onions, but hopefully we can keep exports moving."
© Uienradar
"I think the quality of the onions is generally good. Many lots are processed one day and shipped the next. In the early plots, we had a few problems. On the heavier soils, fusarium does occur from time to time, but the bacterial pressure we had in the last two years has not been as much of an issue this season."
"Many growers have contracts with processors, and therefore, the price remains quite stable. For the last five weeks, I have consistently bought onions at around 12 cents. A few times, I thought the price would fall, but then there was often a sudden buying surge. I also thought a few times that the price would rise, but still the market price has remained fairly stable," says Machiel. "Of course, everyone hopes for the highest possible price, but for the market itself, this price level is positive. At this level, we can move large volumes, and we will all have to keep the pace up until January anyway," the commissioner observes.
"The red onion market is struggling at the moment. Until a few weeks ago, I was also buying quite a few coarse red onions, and the price did not disappoint me. I even paid 20 cents once, but at the moment, mainly fine lots are being offered, which is creating pressure on the domestic market. And since exports of red onions, unlike yellow onions, are not running, it is very difficult to get lots placed at all right now."
For more information:
Machiel Boons
Uienradar.com
Tel: +31 (0)6 41669970
[email protected]
www.uienradar.com