Onion exporters had a good run during the first full week of December. Two African countries stand out in the latest Dutch export figures. The fact that they both do more than 9.000 tons in a week is unprecedented this season.
In week 49, 38.665 tons of onions were exported, according to figures from KCB/GroentenFruit Huis. Last year this week, 36.336 tons were exported and the five-year average is 35.753 tons. In total, the counter for this season now stands at 657.874 tons. This means that exports are 73.881 tons ahead of last season. Incidentally, more onions were exported in the three previous seasons, with 2020/21 as the frontrunner with 703.461 tons up to and including week 49.
Ivory Coast and Senegal were by far the largest buyers of onions. Ivory Coast was good for 9.371 tonnes in week 49, closely followed by Senegal with 9.180 tonnes. This is the first week this season that two countries bought more than 9.000 tonnes. Far behind the large buyers from Africa, Great Britain and the Dominican Republic follow with 2.400 and 2.260 tonnes. In total, 84 countries were on the market for Dutch onions, with Egypt at the very bottom of the list, which imported 5 kilos of Dutch onions.