Poland lays solid ground in onion trade

The trade in industrial onions has two peak moments, according to traders active in this sector. There is supply shortly after the harvest and when the storage season comes to an end (approximately after February). "This year everything is different and everything is possible," says a trader from the southwest of the country. Polish buyers are early to the market and continue to ask for Dutch parties.

Early to market after small harvest
There is a good reason for this movement. Poland has harvested significantly fewer onions this year, which means there is a lot of demand, just like in the Netherlands. Onions there are hardly treated with the germination inhibitor maleic hydrazide (MH), which means that the onion trade can usually rely on its own harvest until the new year. This year that is already a big challenge at the beginning of November.

On the other hand, there are enough industrial onions available in the Netherlands that are not suitable for export. Germinating parties, fusarium, bacteria and other defects play a role in this. The lack of dormancy in particular is a major problem for the keepers this year. However, there is no shortage of supply, supply and demand keep each other in good balance.

Limit in size sorting
"It is not the case that Poles are satisfied with all the onions that are offered to them," says onion trader Bert Staarman, who specializes in industrial onions for Poland. "The size is important. Ideally, onions should be as coarse as possible, but that is a problem for the Netherlands. There is a good reason for this: many Polish peeling companies work with peeling machines, because labor is no longer available. These machines can only cut onions from 45 millimeters. Dutch growers are used to the size 35 millimeters upwards, while in Poland this is considered waste."

The stated prices for industrial onions range from €10 to €20 per 100 kilos, with an attempt to sell as much as possible gross for net (without a discount for tare afterwards). If the game is too good, then it's up to the fool. Up to 10% of onions with fusarium or sprouts is the limit.

Doing business anonymously
Machiel Boons of online trading platform Uienhandel.com notes that most business is now done around €15 per 100 kilos. "You notice that growers do not want to sell too much with such parties. Our platform is anonymous and therefore very suitable. Moreover, we only work with Dutch buyers. You notice that there are often doubts about payment when dealing directly with a Polish buyer. are done. You often have to wait a long time for your money."

Import from all over Europe
Will demand from Poland continue? Insiders responded unanimously positively to the question. They see the fact that Poland is already knocking on the door as a signal for this. It is expected that the supply from industry parties will continue to trickle down.; Germination in particular plays a role in this. In addition to Germany and the Netherlands, Poland is also looking further, as trader Staarman knows. "It is also imported from Ukraine. I have spoken to a company that imports peeled onions from Kazakhstan."

"You still notice some fussiness at the moment, but when the supply decreases, that will change. The fact remains that mechanical peeling is only possible from 45 millimeters. The farmers must then widen the hopper when delivering and only deliver 45 millimeters upwards." He recommends closely monitoring the parties in storage, so as not to be faced with any surprises. "It is better to export batches that tend to germinate immediately before problems arise. Unfortunately, not everyone is fully aware of the quality that is in store."

Don't store on autopilot
Storage specialists try to do what they can. Relying on the automatic save program is a bad choice this season. Paul den Engelsen, advisor at Tolsma Grisnich, guides clients in Flevoland, Gelderland and Overijssel. "You come across fusarium in practically every party. It's just disappointing," he says.

"Irrigation has an impact on quality. You also encounter bacteria and water skins. With the harvest you already saw onions with small rotten spots in the butts. This does not usually occur, but now this problem is spreading considerably. That the MH -spraying has not fully worked, most growers are aware of this. The headlands and edges have therefore often already been kept separate or delivered. If you have any doubts about the spraying, the advice is to keep it for a maximum of 2 months. Farmers realize take that seriously."

Den Engelsen recommends that customers set the computer manually and lower the duct temperature slightly every week. This way you can make more operating hours and cool the onions. The current warm days do not make that easy, but he expects a good effect in the long term. "We divide the storage regime into blocks, so that we have distributed ventilation. This way you always dry something. Onions arrived warm and under nice conditions. The drying was completed quickly. The year 2018 requires a completely different storage method. You have to be alert to that. ."