Onion exporters have taken a step back, the most recent export figures show. No shame, of course, so relatively early in the season. And if you look back, a slightly smaller weekly export does not come as a surprise.
In week 30, Dutch exporters exported 15.552 tons of onions. That is almost 3.000 tons less than in week 29. The total export so far this season amounts to 52.742 tons. Last season, 72.070 tons were exported in the first four weeks. The weather may have played a role in the slightly lower export. Week 30 (last week of July) was a changeable week in terms of weather and sorters did not do everything they could to bring in as many onions as possible.
One-sided question
The main destinations represent a nice mix of European and African buyers. Great Britain confidently tops the list with an import of 3.226 tons in week 30. Ivory Coast is in second place with 2.064 tons, followed by Guinea with 1.583 tons. The top ten is completed by Senegal, Mauritania, Germany, Belgium, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Sweden. No Asian or Central American countries are high on the export list, confirming exporters' complaints that demand is somewhat one-sided. Week 30 is of course still early in the season and if the seed onion harvest gets underway, this can change again.