Onion exports are starting to get off to a good start

In week 29 (third week of July), a total of 13.364 tons of onions crossed the border. These are the figures from KCB/GroentenFruithuis. Exports are increasing further compared to last week and are therefore taking shape, which is also normal for this time of year. Compared to the past two seasons, exports are a lot lower. Then in week 29 more than 18.000 tons were exported both times. In 2021 and 2020, 11.551 and 13.155 tonnes were exported respectively.

The total volume of onions exported in the new season amounts to 29.133 tons. This also puts us far ahead of the last two years with an export of 47.872 tons in 2022 and 37.391 tons. Looking at the five-year average, the current season is not far behind. The five-year average is 32.668 tons.

In the past two years, Africa was on the market earlier and they also purchased considerably more tonnes in July. As a result, exports in this period are much lower than in the past two years. Moreover, old export figures from recent years show that Europe also had a good market for Dutch onions in July. This has to do with relatively low European onion stocks during that period. Countries such as Great Britain and France purchased more onions and Germany, for example, also accounted for a weekly export of 1.000 tons. All that together adds up quite nicely.

This season has been quieter with onion exports for the time being. However, Africa is increasingly entering the market with larger volumes. Ivory Coast purchased the most with 2.612 tons, followed by Guinea with 2.212 tons. The top 3 is completed by Great Britain with 2.108 tons. This is followed by Belgium with 982 tons and Mauritania with 727 tons of onions. Senegal falls just outside the top 5 with 667 tons. This means that the country remains quite limited in the market for Dutch onions compared to previous years.