Governments unhelpful
Wiskerke's Africa plan is 60 percent successful
At the beginning of April, when the Dutch onion market was at an all-time low, Chayenne Wiskerke of onion trader Wiskerke Onions decided to ship surplus onions to East Africa. This relieved our country of its enormous onion stock and could possibly reduce the famine. The Financial Daily language 4 months later with Wiskerke.
No Dutch onions have been exported to East Africa on a large scale. "It involved a few containers, not tons," Wiskerke explains. In April she approached ministries, aid organizations and shipowners to 'plan Africato put into effect. Shipping company Maersk was willing to ship some onions for little money, but the doors of embassies remained closed. Ultimately, Wiskerke sold the onions in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Djibouti.
Africa wants money, not onions
The biggest problem comes from the African governments. "They mainly protect their own cultivation, but it is incomprehensible that they apply 100% import duties on basic food in times of emergency," said the 28-year-old director. The Minister of Foreign Trade, Lilianne Ploumen, contacted Wiskerke in April. She had it investigated whether the onion export fits in with existing aid programs. This appeared to not be the case. Countries did not need fresh onions. Only on money. Ethiopia had enough of its own harvest for local market prices. Other African countries have also announced that they have enough onions for their own market. Food aid requires long-life foods with a high nutritional value. Onions don't fit in there.
Hope for next season
Despite setbacks and criticism, Wiskerke calls the plan 60% successful: "Traders praise the quality of our onions. It was the first time that we exported Dutch onions to East Africa. We showed our product to local importers. Maybe increase the pressure so that we can take advantage of these contacts next season. We have found a good importer for this part of Africa."
30
thousand
Dutch surpluses
At the beginning of April, Wiskerke spoke of a surplus that amounted to 85.000 tons and 100.000 tons. There has been much debate about the reliability of these figures. An estimated 30.000 tons of the old harvest has not been sold, the FD reports. "Those onions have been destroyed or plowed under. A small part is transported to industry or biodigesters." This means that 55.000 to 70.000 tons of onions have found a place in the market. For example, a part was exported to Poland for €0. Ultimately, the entrepreneur is not dissatisfied. "You're trying something. Sitting with your arms folded doesn't suit us."
Niels van der Boom
© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.