Grower responds to possible onion shortage

The onion growers expect that the supply of onions at the end of the storage season will be less than in a 'normal' year. At a normal export level, there may be significantly fewer (or even no) onions available at an early stage. There is an opportunity for arable farmers who have new products available early.

There are always onion growers who try to store the onions as long as possible, but it is not clear whether the onions can be stored for a long time. The question remains how the spraying with maleic hydrazide (MH) was successful. Seed supplier De Groot en Slot advises testing this by planting the onions in moist potting soil. If rooting does occur after 3 or 4 weeks, the spraying was not successful or was less successful. It is then not wise to store the onions for a long time.

Do you want to keep it for a long time?
"Onion processor Monie always does the test, but this year it is being carried out earlier than normal. Even if the grower has had to deal with regrowth, we advise not to store it for too long. However, there are certainly lots that have ripened well and can therefore be stored for a long time," says Peter Vroegindeweij, sales manager at De Groot en Slot.

On the other hand, André Boot, crop specialist at Hazera, warns that yields in Northwest Europe are lower this year, but this does not mean that there will be no more onions from February or March. "Then onions will become available again from the southern hemisphere. If the price is high enough, the onions will come from China, for example."

Winter onion seed
The fact that less supply is expected in the spring is evident from the fact that Vroegindeweij (in the 5 years that he has worked at De Groot en Slot) has never had a demand for winter onion seed. "Growers who opt for this see an opportunity in the early market. It does not involve a large area, because there are major risks associated with this cultivation. For example, we recommend never sowing on soil that is sensitive to soil, which also applies to onion sets."

According to Boot, winter onion varieties can withstand frost down to -22 degrees Celsius. "The problem is that clay soil starts to deteriorate due to a succession of frost and thaw, which destroys the roots. That is why winter onions are mainly sown on sandy soil and therefore often in the east of the country."

More demand for onion onions
As for overwintering onion sets and early spring varieties, such as Jagro, Jetset and Forum, Vroegindeweij also saw more demand. "This is a fairly stable group of growers and the area does not vary much. Despite the fact that there is more demand, the area will not increase this year because there are simply fewer onion sets available."

Although the marketing season has not yet started, Vroegindeweij expects that there will be a small decline in the area. Is it not true that historically there is also an increase in area after an expensive year? "That is indeed true in the new cultivation areas, such as East Brabant, Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe," says Vroegindeweij. "The yields there were generally reasonable to good this year. In the Southwest the harvest has been disappointing for 2 to 3 years. We expect slightly less sowing there."

Have to add money
Boot also expects this. "In the Southwest, growers have had to pay extra money for 3 years in a row due to thrips and drought. Then wheat becomes a safe alternative, which entails lower costs. Expensive onion cultivation must be able to be paid for again." He also does not expect a spectacular increase in area in Belgium.

Not only does he see a lot of demand for winter planting and sowing onions, but early spring varieties are also often purchased. He also advises that the onion sets (actually spring onion sets) should be planted as late as possible, so that they enter the winter as small as possible. If all goes well, you can harvest the onions in July.