Not only the potato but also the onion harvest resumed in mid-October. Harvesting and loading still has to take place at various places in the Netherlands. Opinions differ about the quality. The cultivation for 2021 is also already being looked forward to.
In almost all growing areas there were still crops in mid-October onions on the land. This did not involve very many hectares, insiders estimate around 10% of the total. There are also exceptions: in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen a relatively large number of onions still had to be harvested. This also applied to the south of Limburg, where plots are still noticeably green even in mid-October.
More fat necks
Last week there were also plots in Flevoland that did not want to be cleared and were green. In many cases these are thicknecks (bolts) that only started growing after sufficient rainfall this spring. All growing areas indicate that they are affected by this. In most cases, these are places within a plot where the onions only started to grow late and which ultimately never grew.
Onion growers have a hard deadline because a container of water will be given up on Wednesday, October 21. At the end of last week and again this week, harvesting and loading will therefore be on everyone's agenda, which will be possible for almost everyone. Circumstances permit this, although tricks are sometimes necessary to get the product off the land properly.
Yield remarkably good
Insiders are remarkably positive about the returns. Recent experience from the 2019 harvest shows that onions that have been in the swath for longer can still produce an excellent product, provided they are properly dried and stored. Especially in the northeast and south of Limburg, growers are pleased with the gross yields that are now being generated from the land.
In addition to the last sowing onions, plenty of overwintering onions are also planted. Planting material suppliers indicate that they are noticing slightly more demand for these 'winter onions'. Due to a slightly reduced onion area and in some areas below average yields, arable farmers expect the market to empty out next June. Having onion sets available early can be beneficial. The slightly improved conditions in the country also make it possible to plant onions.
More or less onions in 2021?
The sowing onions for the 2021 season are also already being considered, insiders indicate. Two important things play a role in this. On the one hand there is the relatively high wheat price – above €200 per tonne – which now encourages perhaps sowing an extra plot with wheat. Opinions on this differ. For example, some insiders indicate that even at the current price level, the possible balance of onions is still better than wheat.
There is, however, the fear that more onions will be planted next spring because consumption potatoes offer an unattractive alternative given current market knowledge. Potato processors are more likely to focus on fewer contracted tonnes than more. Large potato growers, especially in the southeast and northeast, often have a year or two of experience with onions and are now continuing, or so the idea is.
Plant seed onions instead
Growers in Zeeland probably choose onion onions more often and sowing onions less often. This was already noticeable this year. The cultivation is slightly more robust and can still provide a reasonable yield in a dry spring. Taking the onions completely out of the crop plan is out of the question for many Zeeland growers. They are too emotionally connected to the crop for that. It is in their roots.