For most Dutch arable farmers, onions are one of the most volatile products they trade in. This market volatility is confirmed again these weeks. From mainly looking at each other and doing little in the past weeks, relatively many things were done this week.
Nice coarse onions, that's what the trade is all about. And if you have such onions in storage, €20 is not far away, or has already been offered. Various sorters do protest a bit, but in the end the fear of either running out of onions or having to buy more later or seeing the competitor run off with them weighs more heavily. If several interested parties contact a grower to come and have a look at the onions - whether they are really serious or mainly want to make an estimate of what is still there - that gives the farmer's confidence an extra push to stick to his guns.
After a somewhat lean period from the second half of January to the end of February, growers dare to ask themselves again whether the onion market can take another step. The rumour mill is running at full speed; there are now reports of €22 to €25 for delivery at the end of April or in May. Incidentally, these are onions from crate storage with mechanical cooling.
Large range
We look very much at the top of the market, but if the onions are a bit finer or the colour is gone, then prices under €15 are also still in the running. Which category the onions fall into sometimes causes a difference of opinion between potential buyer and seller.
The bale price can't really keep up with the grower prices. To 60-80, 70 or 80 is good demand and there it is also possible to add something to the bale. The bottleneck for most sorters is the sale of triplets and middles. There are customers to be found, but they are very sharp on the price.
Read here is the explanation from DCA Market Intelligence on the new quotations.