The large supply of fine seed onions means that for the 2018 harvest, Beurs Goes has created a new category for onions with a size percentage of up to 30%. Many of these parties are present, especially in the southwest of the country. The extra category should provide a better price picture of the 30% to 60% sorting.
The category 0% to 30% coarse seed onions was proposed about weeks ago by discussion leader Watze van der Zee. "The listing committee as well as traders and growers were 100% positive. The expansion was short-circuited with GroentenFruit Huis and communicated to ZLTO, LTO Nederland and the NAV. They all responded approvingly."
Avoid discussion
Last year there was a discussion about the category 30% to 60% coarse, which Beurs Goes notes. "There were many lots of fine onions in the south-west of the country at the time. This always has some effect on the market and the price formation of the 30% to 60% coarse quotation. Officially these lots were never included, but sometimes a discussion arose when the parties were just on the 30% gross threshold."
The fair wants to avoid that discussion this year. "The supply of fine onions is much larger this year. In Zeeland, but also in the west of North Brabant," says Van der Zee. He is an onion grower himself in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and speaks from experience. Only 20 millimeters have fallen since May. "With a yield of 16 tons per hectare, the question is whether such plots are worth clearing. The contractor does a round of clearing to assess the result and whether it is wise to continue. The machines sometimes cannot even handle the fine onions crossing."
Not a keeper
The 0% to 30% quotation is not yet permanently included in the transaction list of Beurs Goes. "If we are dealing with a normal sorting, we will stop it again," says the discussion leader. "If it turns out to be of added value again next year, we may take it up again."
The first quotation for the 0% to 30% coarse category is €15 to €17 per 100 kilos. The 30% to 60% coarse ranges from €17 to €20 per 100 kilos and the 60% coarse from €20 to €23 per 100 kilos. The second-year onion onions are traded for €17 to €23. Last week, Goes recorded a bandwidth for seed onions of €1 to €18 per 22 kilos. The onion onions were then on the plate for €100 to €18.
Ex-country offer
Many fine consignments are currently offered for land delivery, Van der Zee knows. It is difficult to find buyers. The 60% upside offer is quite scarce. There are also many onion sets available. Especially the late varieties, such as Sturon, whose size is sometimes disappointing. In Zeeland, a relatively large number of onion sets were planted late this spring. Sometimes because it was too late for sowing onions.