Despite the quiet export, some more onions have been bought from the farmer in recent weeks. There is interest in onions that can be collected later in the season.
After a number of very busy months, exporters are currently a lot calmer. In the latest export figures (week 1), the provisional export figure is 10.633 tons, which is significantly less than the weekly average of 30.051 tons of the first half of the season. The lower export figure can be explained by the downscaling of exports to Africa and Asia. In recent weeks, exporters have received the necessary orders from Gambia, which resulted in additional work to Africa.
Despite the quiet export, the demand for onions on the farm has increased somewhat in recent weeks. Packers bought a huge number of onions in October and November, but after that they kept quiet on the farm for a while.
Supplies are now starting to dwindle, so people are becoming more vocal again. In the short term, these are often parties with a story. Onions that are starting to sprout or are at risk of losing their heads are now sold before the problems with these onions become greater.
The demand for good onions is long term. Exporters expect little demand for Dutch onions in the coming weeks. But normally demand from Europe starts to pick up later in the season. The good exports of the first half of the season have caused a significant gap in the national onion supply. In addition, CBS announced today that revenues fell 4% last year compared to a year earlier. This ensures that processors and traders are happy to patent good quality onions.
Pricing
Of the three regional agricultural fairs, only the Goes fair recorded a plus of €0,50 this week. The quotations in Emmeloord and Middenmeer are unchanged. However, the stock exchange committee in Emmeloord changed the mood from calm to price-loving. This means that supply is less than or equal to demand.
There is little space between farm prices and bale prices. An overview of the bale prices can be found in the DCA listing Bale price Onions.