The end of the Dutch onion season is uncertain

The situation in the Dutch onion market is currently difficult, says Maarten van Damme of Dacomex. "In autumn, we try to export as much as possible, but in spring, what we want is to limit losses as much as possible. There are very few onions for the price of a bale to rise, and there is hardly any difference with the price received by the producer, so the benefit is minimal.

"There is still a wide demand for onions, but there are no big destinations on the market. Eastern Europe still sends a lot of onions to Germany, in Africa there is little movement, and within Europe, there is a little that goes to many places. All of that adds about 17,000-18,000 tons of export per week".

Maarten finds it difficult to predict if there will be a rebound. “It will all depend on stocks, but opinions are divided. Demand from Eastern Europe could revive the market. But we have to avoid prices suddenly rising to such an extent that we are out of the market,” he says. "The market was stable in the fall, but at the bottom, it could be up or down. Anything is possible."

"The onions are of good quality. A few weeks ago, we had lots of sprouts, but not anymore. Red onions are running low. They are very scarce and are being sold at high prices. The availability of yellow onions is still ample, with the exception of large sizes, which are scarce. But this will change in two weeks with the arrival of the new Spanish harvest," concludes Maarten.

The end of the Dutch onion season is uncertain PDF