January has a reputation for being a bad month for trading. This is also true for onions this year. Prices on the regional fairs are under some pressure. Not much is bought or sold, by the way. That causes grumpy among the processors, but not that growers care about it.
The big rush of exports to Africa is over. Of course, there are still onions going that way, but for the sorters it means shifting down a few gears in terms of pace. Demand from Europe has yet to pick up. It's more often Jantje laughs, Jantje cries in the onion sector. Now it's crying for different sorters. Onions that were bought relatively expensively from the grower go for a somewhat disappointing price.
But it is not the case that confidence in the market has completely disappeared. This is evident, for example, from the fact that (although occasionally) €50 and more is paid for onion delivery in the spring. Growers are standing their ground and are not eager to make price concessions. There is something to be said for having good stuff in the shed. In terms of kilos, the onion harvest in Europe is not disappointing, but quality is a completely different story. Things must be going crazy if there are no more opportunities for good large onions.
Occupational therapy
The quality of the onions that are now being processed is another bright spot. Sorters took the questionable lots by the head in December and are running on the better cells with tare percentages that are more in line with the multi-year average. Not all bad onions have disappeared from the Dutch market. Some sorters who are not busy pick up a batch if the price is right and also a bit as occupational therapy. In addition, some money also goes to the Polish industry. Unlike last season, they are not chasing the Dutch market now. This is due to the better European harvest this season.
De DCA quotation Bale price of Onions is also taking a step back this week. It is mainly the triplets and means that are in trouble. Coarse and supers hold up better, although quality plays a major role. Some sorters manage to make a nice plus for the very nice 80 for Southern Europe.