Now that the first onion sets of the new year have been planted, it is time to look ahead to the new growing season. How big will the acreage be, how are the onions already planted and what about the Mundial seed coating? In this article Boerenbusiness on the current affairs regarding onion sowing.
The first onion onions of this year have already been planted. Although this is not a large area, several growers have taken the plunge. "It concerns about ten growers. This was also done in 2018 and it generally went very well, without too many shooters," says Jaap Jonker, sales manager at de Groot en Slot. According to him, the onion sets seem to be in good shape at the moment. A few hundred hectares of winter onion sets have also been planted. "That also went well, although the start was a bit difficult because of the wet ground," says Jonker.
Small plus
Jonker expects the sowing onion area to increase by 2020 to 2% in 3. "The number of hectares is growing slightly, especially in the new areas. Last year went well in Drenthe and North Brabant and you can see that now." Follow him varieties with a strong root system and good yields are in demand. "Particularly in the southwest. There you also see that more onion sets have been ordered. Simply because after 2 bad years they want to avoid drought and, for example, white rot and fusarium."
Jonker is not surprised that the area is growing slightly. This year has been a normal season so far with reasonable prices so far. "Prices are even very good for red onions and if money is made, you will never see the area decrease. The organic onion area will not increase this year." Menno van der Vlies, advisor at Hazera, also expects the area to increase slightly. "We see a small minus in the southwest, but that is offset by the plus in the east."
More red onions
Van der Vlies says that the sales season is not over yet. "It is not yet completely clear. In addition to the relatively good year, the plus is also due to the lack of alternatives. You will also see the area of red onions increasing slightly this season."
There is currently some doubt among growers about the use of seed with Mundial disinfection. Seed with the IC coating may be sown, but there is no end date for this either. Growers have also simply bought coated seed based on that idea. However, it now appears that some processors would rather not want onions that come from Mundial coated seed.
Van der Vlies refers to the advice of LTO regarding this situation. "They argue that it is better not to sow IC-coated seed. The situation surrounding the sales of Mundial coated onions is still somewhat unclear and that ignorance makes it difficult. It is therefore safest not to sow with Mundial coating. Growers can exchange IC-coated seed for B/C."
Problems surrounding Mundial coating
According to Jonker, it is true that sowing can take place until May. "However, the MRL on the end product has been reduced. Even with the new standard, however, the chance of exceeding it is minimal. That is why almost everyone can sow with confidence with IC-coated seed. It is just that some processors who supply to supermarkets do not "Onions want to come from IC-coated seed. That is why some growers cannot sow with IC-coated seed." It is also possible to exchange IC-coated seed for BC-coated seed at De Groot en Slot. "It means a significant cost item for us, but we want to take responsibility for this," says Jonker.
De Groot and Slot/Bejo won a prize for the organic onion variety Boga at the organic fair Biovak. “This variety is mildew resistant and therefore also interesting for the conventional sector. You see that supermarkets are asking for products with as little residue as possible. The variety was initially used on the organic market, but we are now also going to roll it out to the conventional market. In France we notice a lot of interest from the mainstream sector.”