Northern onion grower has had excellent years

Onion cultivation in the Northeast Netherlands has been a hot item for the sector for years. It is certainly not the only growth region, but it is an important one. Area figures in the province of Drenthe fluctuate somewhat, but do show an upward trend. Cultivation is better known on the clay in Groningen. Especially on the 'Hogeland'. That clouds the figures somewhat for that province. However, a structural increase is also noticeable there. Both arable farmers in the Oldambt and growers on the Veenkoloniale lands have used the crop as an alternative to grain.

20 percent more onions in Groningen
Statistics from Statistics Netherlands show an area of ​​2000 hectares in Groningen and Drenthe in 259. Things have been going fast since 2010. 2016 is the provisional peak. Groningen has 1.485 hectares of sowing onions. Drenthe covers 532 hectares. An increase of 13 and 20 percent respectively. More than 2.000 hectares is 8 percent of the national onion area.

Development of the area of ​​yellow seed onions between 2010 and 2016.

Support Agrifirm
Agrifirm Plant has been involved in onion cultivation in the Northeast Netherlands from the start. Since 2010, it has provided cultivation guidance for a fluctuating but steadily growing group of growers. It also has a landing and storage pool for yellow onions.

Cultivation specialist Fokko Prins notices that interest is increasing: 'New growers are registering and existing growers are expanding. Many arable farmers start small and then scale up. The current onion prices may not be an incentive to invest in cultivation. However, most companies in this region deliver their products locally. That price has been good in recent years.'

Focus on cultivation, then sales
Betting all your money on one horse is a risk. This is partly why there is a shift towards storage. 'Last season we noticed that things could sometimes go wrong with transport. Simply because there are not enough trucks available," Prins says. 'In addition, the risk plays a role. You arrive at a year when the farm gate price does not cover costs. New onion growers first focused on cultivation. Once this has been mastered, the attention shifts to sales. The onion pool at Agrifirm is also expanding slightly this year.'

Virgin soil
Clay onion growers insist on quality. Have the 'sand onions' proven themselves in the trade? Prins thinks so: 'You miss the natural hardness of an onion that grows in clay soil for long storage. A major advantage is that the Veenkoloniale area still has a lot of virgin soil for onion cultivation, without soil-borne diseases. Bottom line, it doesn't matter. Onion growers also now have a good handle on weed control.'

More product storage
Storage specialists also notice that the area's interest in storing onions is increasing, given the number of requests. It is mainly the large growers who invest heavily in product storage. The uncertainty surrounding the future of germination inhibitor MH (Maleine Hydrazide) has little influence. It should be noted that considerable investments are being made nationally in product storage. Especially in arable growth regions such as the northeast, southeast and Belgium.

The quality is good on average
Frank Druyff, representative at seed supplier Hazera, also notices the increasing interest. 'Many growers have achieved a good balance in the last three years. Anyone who wants to sell their onions in November or December must be able to store them. Hence the interest.' Druyff believes it is likely that the area will increase again. It is difficult to say how many hectares. 'Onions are a welcome addition to the cultivation plan. The onion quality has been good on average this season. Worldwide, more onions are grown on sand than on clay. That is fine, but requires a good choice of variety to begin with. The variety must be hard and skin-fast.'

Druyff notices that cultivation knowledge is increasing in the north. That contributes to quality. 'Soil-related diseases play less of a role compared to traditional cultivation areas. Sometimes you have to deal with nematodes more often. On average we see net yields of 65 tons on this land. The cultivation has been profitable in the past three years. Availability of land is not an issue. This is also because a lot is exchanged with dairy farms. Given the current situation in dairy farming, the availability may increase slightly.'

The average stock exchange quotation for seed onions is rough in the off-farm periods of 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Also visit the database for onions.