The precipitation of the past few days has stopped the last part of the onion harvest. Roughly speaking, from the east of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and Oud-Beijerland to Rotterdam, more than 2 millimeters of precipitation has fallen in the past 200 weeks. The onions that have been harvested are of good quality. Fusarium does play a role this year, though.
Insiders expect 80% to 90% of the onions to be behind the shelves, although not much work has been done in the past 14 days due to the rain. In fact, the harvest in the entire country is virtually at a standstill at the moment. The plots that still have to be cleared are mainly labeled as 'special plots'. Here, for example, the onions were not yet fully grown. However, insiders also wonder whether they have not waited too long for these plots. In the end, most growers had a good chance. A risk is often taken by waiting for better prices or until the last kilos have been added.
In addition, the regional differences that were already clearly visible during the emergence have not disappeared. In the north of the country, including Noord-Holland, Southern Flevoland and Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, most onions are currently on the land. The south, on the other hand, has already come a long way. Insiders estimate that the yield this season will be slightly below the long-term average: from 48 to 50 tons net. However, here too the variations are large. In the south-west of the country, for example, the yield quickly varies from 30 to 60 tons.
Problems with fusarium
The quality can generally be described as fair to good, although there are some problems with it bolts and 'thick necks'. Nationally, you see that there are mainly quality problems in the so-called new cultivation areas. According to insiders, this is partly because the growers on those grounds have dared to use organic fertilizers, which in some cases has caused the onions to 'explode'. This has, for example, led to problems with 'crack butts'.
Bacteria, fusarium and water sheets are now also found in storage. According to insiders, a lot of outdated product has been driven in. Fusarium has an incubation period of 6 to 8 weeks and that is now showing. This mainly concerns onion plots that have been irrigated frequently in the past period (for example to be able to harvest). Dry firing is possible, but all in all it takes more effort than in other years.
Lots of coarse onions
In addition, this season it is noticeable that there are many large onions. Since we had to deal with a dry spring, the position remained fairly thin. This resulted in a lot of growing space for the onions. According to some, there may even be too many coarse onions at the moment. Large onions are mainly requested by hotels and restaurants, but those markets are less prominent this year due to the corona crisis. Retail, on the other hand, is more present on the market, although they generally prefer smaller onions.
Yet the mood is not gloomy. A lot of product is still being sorted and the sales is also not wrong. It is also expected that when it is dry for a few days, the onions that are still on the land will be brought in fairly quickly.