After a very difficult start to the onion season, with a lot of tension on the prices of yellow seed onions, it was almost unthinkable that there could be a turnaround in the price trend. The quality of the onions also played a major role in this, which meant that there was no shortage of supply. Until.
The export figures, which are announced with some delay every week, do not include the onions that are sent to Poland as field crops. As a result, it remains a guess how many onions have actually left the country in this way. Growers with onions that were not suitable for long-term storage decided early in the season to clear the onions, to prevent there from being no market for them at all. Large volumes of substandard quality onions were sold to Poland for prices of €6 to €7, which gave them a boost for their sales.
Concerns
After the successful first half of the export season, it is a matter of waiting every season to see how the onion market will recover. This season was no exception. And although many sorting companies/exporters had considerable reservations about the sales of onions in the second half of the season, it now appears that many more onions are gone than previously expected.
Not to be captured in numbers
Poland turned out to be a larger buyer of Dutch onions than the sector estimated. The onions that are still in storage are onions that can be stored perfectly well. An insider said that the 'shit' is gone and that if Poland is still on the market, they will have to dig deeper into their pockets. In the meantime, the price of onions that go to Poland as field crops has risen to €12,50 to €16, gross for net. Due to the emergence of new sorting techniques, sorters are able to get more and more return from a batch of field crops. Partly because of this, Poland in particular has to get used to a different raw material flow from the Netherlands.
Assessment
Onion buyers are busy taking stock of how many onions are still available until the end of the season. This search makes it clear that the stock of yellow seed onions that is still to be traded is not enough. Due to the difficult start of the onion season, there was little confidence among onion traders, which is why fewer onions were put into position. Now that the realization is slowly sinking in that there are fewer yellow seed onions in stock, the margins of sorters are coming under pressure. After all, the bale price could not and did not have to go up, because there were enough onions. As is often the case, the grower prices will push up the bale prices this season.
22% more onions to Africa
The export figure in the period week 1 to week 9 is now at 197.009 tonnes, which means that this season occupies an excellent position in the top 3. Due to export information received later, it is quite possible to take the crown as number 1 in the period mentioned (harvest 2021 with 200.775 tonnes). The stories that the sales of onions are moderate are therefore not reflected in the figures. Even with the total export that has been realised this season from week 27 2024 (961.619 tonnes), harvest 2024 is in the top 3.
Grower price rises
Now that the stock of available onions is estimated to be smaller, this could cause grower prices to rise. In week 6 2025, the week of Fruit Logistica, the average quotation of the regional fairs for fine onions was €13 and for coarse onions €13,50. In week 11, this had risen to €15,50 and €18, an increase of 19% and 33% respectively. Based on these figures, this current onion season could well be a high-profile one.
The ongoing bad weather in Spain and Portugal also offers opportunities for exports, creating additional demand and a longer sales season.
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