This means that there is also a weekly battle at the quotation table of the regional stock exchanges. Based on completed transactions that appear on transaction lists, it can be seen that purchasing levels are slowly increasing. In the purchasing channel, the focus is mainly on coarser sorting. The finer grades are generally stable.
Growers with free onions are unsure what to do: provide supply in the current limited demand or maintain patience. It currently seems clear that the trade/sorter is not going to make the music at the moment, even though it is difficult to obtain onions every week. There are few extras available in terms of the bale price.
The current onion market can best be summarized as very quiet. The latest export figures may stir some euphoria (still a record), but insiders indicate that the last Senegal transaction was processed in week 5. In week 5, Senegal accounted for 6.888 tons.
The packers are currently quite stuck. The grower asks 'a lot of money' for his onions in relation to the bale price to be achieved. Most of the costs of onion cultivation have been incurred, so the grower does not seem to be in a hurry to sell at the moment. Moreover, the onions are of good quality, so long(er) storage poses few problems.
The trade is looking for straws to hold on to. Although national stock measurements are no longer available, a fictitious stock is estimated based on hectare yields in relation to the export figure. Even if it were lower than last year, export demand would still be needed to sell this quantity.
It is estimated that 17.000 tons of onions still need to be exported every week this season. This quantity was not achieved last year (week 9 to the end of the season) (average 14.500 tons). And then the demand and sales of onions were at a significantly higher level. In other words, there is still a long way to go in onions.