The demand for and sales of Dutch onions is expected to increase seasonally in August. In the run-up to that, there is more excitement in the onion market. The quality seems good, which means that the new season can be viewed positively.
The end of week 29 came after months of lobbying the redeeming word: receives the drug MH (maleic hydrazide), conditionally, will be approved again in the next 10 years for use as a sprout inhibitor in onion cultivation. The concerns that the drug may no longer be used are therefore off the table. This also means that the Netherlands' export position has been secured for the time being.
More commotion on the market
It looks like the sorting work for Dutch onion sorters is slowly increasing. After the moderate sales of onions in recent weeks, the sector is ready for this. The supply of onion onions is sufficient for the current demand. The overall supply has dampened sentiment and prices somewhat in recent weeks, but it is certainly not an oversupplied market.
This is also reflected in the listing of onion sets in Goes this week. With an average drop of a quarter, it reflects the market exactly as it currently is. For seed onions, some incidental business has been done in the field at around €6,50 to €7 per 100 kilos. The purchasing interest can be described as somewhat reserved, but the time of need for work inventory is approaching.
Revenues various
From the harvest impressions of onion sets in the south-west of the country, it can be concluded that the yield is not great. Yields that are between 10 and 15 tons lower than last year occur regularly. Many plots ultimately suffered to a greater or lesser extent from the dry conditions in the spring. Not every onion onion grower had the option of irrigation, which means yields can fluctuate considerably.
The seed onions are in better condition on average, which is the sum of cultivation areas where there is a lot of bargaining and the regions where the condition is good. On average there is a high plant density, which does not automatically lead to a top yield. The first plots already have a tendency to iron and in a number of cultivation areas dry weather is needed to prevent the outbreak of bacterial disease.
Old harvest
A number of traders are still busy selling old harvest onions. These are often given a Polish destination. The prices achieved for this are between €0 and €1 per 100 kilos (gross for net). Occasionally, old harvest onions are still processed for the export market.