The export of onions is not going badly at all for this phase of the season. Volumes are good and the Netherlands has a foothold in many destinations. However, buyers are still frugal. The downward trend that started quite soon after the start of the season is making packers cautious. That now seems to be shifting somewhat.
Rain and wetness characterised a large part of the growing season. In the past few days, significant rain has fallen locally across the Netherlands. The showers have passed in the southwest. Ideal conditions for loading onions that were already in the swath. However, it was already too dry in several places to be able to harvest. For next week, precipitation is in the weather forecast for the whole of the Netherlands. The amounts that Buienradar, for example, indicates may not be spectacular, but if the forecast is correct, we will get some every day. Also not ideal conditions for the harvest.
Next week, if everything goes according to plan, a boat will arrive for Senegal. A wet period and extra demand due to a boat that needs to be loaded will certainly cause some commotion. Certainly the larger self-exporting sorters have sufficient onions in stock and are not worried about that. However, some sorters have been cautious in the declining market and they are a bit more concerned. Not being able to load for a week is not a problem, but it should not last much longer for some, according to an insider. For growers who have driven in (a remainder of) plant onions, that offers perspective.
Larger area
In general, there are more than enough onions for the harvest period. After a few financially good years, the area has been expanded and there is not enough storage for all those onions. Let us not forget what is not far across the border in Germany. It is therefore not surprising that sorters are cautious about buying these weeks.
De DCA quotation Bale price of Onions is starting to stabilize. The bottom of the planting onions is at €15 and that rises to €22 for the coarse sizes of seed onions. Planting onions remains a bit of a competitive market for the time being, but the seed onions have found the temporary bottom. You can't get sorted seed onions for much less than €19 to €20.
Read here is the explanation from DCA Market Intelligence on the new quotations.