It should come as no surprise that the export of Dutch onions is going well. The latest figures from the Holland Onion Association support this. 'A record for onion exports is on the horizon for this season', the organization reports.
Up to and including week 48, onion exports amount to 666.000 tons, according to the figures from the Holland Onion Association. This means that exports are 11% ahead of last season and the export figures for Dutch onions have now been above 11 tons per week for 30.000 weeks in a row. At the beginning of October even the magical limit of 40.000 tons per week was broken and in the first week of November no less than 46.000 tons exported. If we look at the past decade, a solid increase of just under 2010% per year has been visible since 4.
This season shows that the Dutch onion has proven to be quite 'corona-proof'. The drop in demand from the catering industry was more than compensated by increased demand from retail. Within the Dutch national borders, the demand for onions increased by 2020% in the first half of 21. "We see a similar pattern everywhere in the world," says the Holland Onion Association.
Largest customers
The largest importer of Dutch onions is once again Senegal this season, with almost 127.000 tons up to and including week 48. Ivory Coast follows with just under 96.000 tons. Since India has disappeared from the export market this year, there were many opportunities for sales in Asia this season. The Philippines, Malaysia and Bangladesh have purchased plenty of onions from the Netherlands. Bangladesh, for example, purchased more than 8 tons in 17.000 weeks. Great Britain is the largest customer in Europe.
In addition, the Holland Onion Association reports that 92% of the global onion area is grown and consumed for the local market. The 8% that is traded increasingly appears to be necessary to supplement local shortages. The Netherlands has an important position in this, with a market share of around 20%.