Nevertheless, exporters have their concerns. It revolves around the question: who will take over from Senegal now that that country is switching to the consumption of onions from its own harvest. It sometimes seems as if there would be no life after Senegal, but that was not the truth in previous years and it is not this year.
The sorting capacity is more than sufficient for the current onion demand, so that the hunger for work is present on a daily/weekly basis. This causes unrest in the development of the bale prices, causing an increasing tension between the purchase price on the one hand and the selling price on the other.
On Wednesday 1 February, the last onions were exported to Senegal. It seems that the gap that Dutch exporters normally fill is turning out to be less extreme this season. Insiders indicate that the sale of onions in the 'post-Senegal' era has been widely taken up and that the cumulative volume is not disappointing. All destinations seem to be on the market; Central America, Africa, Far East and Europe.
That also explains the presence of the onion demand, where it was deeply hidden just before this time. Apparently the current relationship between price and quality is arousing interest. In addition, the resistance of growers to offer offers at any money is growing. Growers with free onions realize that too negative will certainly not help them get rid of their onions.
Now that the demand for onions is turning out less gloomy, the development of the onion prices shows that a small plus can be realized again and there is also some movement on the Polish onion market (onions were traded this week for 1 and 2 euro cents), it is important to be alert. The market is not showing a drastic turnaround, but a step up can be taken.