Dutch onion sales have had a new pool since last season: OnionConnect Pool. Four independent commission agents have joined forces. The growers are very pleased with this debutant regarding their first result, for yellow and red seed onions from storage.
The men behind the OnionConnect Pool, Piet de Fouw, Adrie and Kees Zandijk and Rogus Vonk, are well-known faces in the onion sector. Last season they decided to join forces and jointly set up two onion pools. One for yellow and one for red seed onions, both delivered from storage.
Satisfied with results
The result in the yellow onion pool is €32,06 per 100 kilos. For red onions that is €75,46. This price applies to delivery dry from the shed, week 11, and includes a GlobalGap surcharge. "Growers are positive about the financial result and satisfied with the settlement," says Rogus Vonk. "In a year with major differences in quality and market prices, we are proud of this result. We have not removed a single batch from the pool. If the quality of a batch was lower and therefore yielded less than the daily price, we corrected it with a negative daily discount."
UienConnect Pool has its registered office in Nieuwe-Tonge in South Holland, but it is active throughout the Netherlands. "We all have our own work area and network with customers. That is our strong point," says Vonk. "We started last season and the volume was more than sufficient to set up two serious pools. I think we have a broad base, which is important for sales of all sizes and qualities."
Space in the market
The men behind UienConnect Pool are convinced that there is enough space for a new pool. Vonk: "In recent years, pools have stopped, changed their design or shrunk in volume. This offers opportunities. In the newer cultivation areas, the onion area is growing rapidly again this year. We are not yet active everywhere, but we want to expand this. What We want to do well."
The 2024/25 season will once again be one of extremes. "The state of the crop varies per region and per plot," says Vonk. "In some areas the spring was wet and the sowing was late. In the southwest we have had to deal with regional hail damage, which has resulted in plots being over-sown. Most of the onions are now growing reasonably well. The late-planted second-year onion onions have also been damaged due to the weather. a little later. They have mainly produced a lot of foliage, so the yield is potentially there. We don't have a pool for onion sets, but we do trade in this." Next harvest year, the OnionConnect Pool will start with a field pool for yellow seed onions. "The demand from growers is there."