You get used to a rising market and high prices quickly. This becomes clear when we look at the onion market this season. Now that the whole crazy thing is over and the onion trade is in somewhat calmer waters, it appears to be a matter of switching for both growers and sorters. The market is looking for a new balance, both in terms of demand for onions and prices.
When you speak to sorters, most indicate that onion exports are not busy. That mood may be even stronger this week due to Labor Day last Monday, which left half of Europe free, and Poland's National Constitution Day on Wednesday. It may be on the quiet side, but sorters generally remain in good spirits. A real revival in the market is no longer expected immediately, but it is also not anticipated that prices will drop. Although that may also be a bit of wishful thinking.
This is further reinforced by the fact that various sorters are now working on the most expensive onions of the season. The volumes that have been purchased in the future for €1 may not be very large, but there is also a significant portion that has been purchased for good money with or without a custody fee based on participation. The time to pass on these lots and sell cheaper onions on the daily market is behind us. What is purchased for immediate delivery is mainly a few cars to fill an order.
More onions than expected
What is remarkable is that onions still appear from all kinds of nooks and crannies. Until February or March, the story was that the Dutch onions could be gone before May 1, but you now hear reports that we can continue with Dutch onions until well into June, especially if demand declines a little further, as is usual towards the end of the year. end of the season. The question of how reliable the CBS harvest estimate and/or the export figures are is therefore regularly raised.
Quality is an issue for some parties. Germs are not the biggest problem, but bare spots or cracks occur regularly. The mediocre onions find their way to the peeling process fairly easily. For the grower who thought he had gold in his hands, this is a bit of a pill to swallow, but on the other hand: there are plenty of years when you don't make €40 for even the best onions. And that is what is now paid for suitable peeling. For example, if the materials still need to be sorted out, you will go towards €50.
De DCA quotation Bale price of Onions takes another step back this week. However, the price differences remain very large. Even sorting companies have a wide range in the price list. With a good, coarse batch of onions, the average bale price goes a long way towards €80, while a finer batch, especially if it still has a story behind it, remains low at €70. Especially if a sorter is afraid of a possible claim, this is more or less covered by offering the onions cheaper.