Where is all that fusarium suddenly coming from in the onions? What was initially dismissed as a polder problem suddenly appears to be a problem in many more places.
Several parties are calling the sudden origin of this fusarium infection a mystery. Intensive cultivation is usually cited as the cause, but now it appears the fungal disease is also occurring on virgin soil for onion cultivation.
Not everyone is worried about fusarium, however. "The percentages aren't high yet. I'm more concerned about internal bacteria. That continues to spread during storage, while fusarium dries out," responds one onion processor.
Prolonged heat may be a factor in the fusarium that's now appearing, suggests a packer and exporter. Or dry, lean weather, irrigation, or compaction of the soil after heavy downpours. Various possible causes are being considered, but a definitive answer is not yet available.
Fusarium has traditionally been more prevalent in fields in the Noordoostpolder. The problem seemed to be concentrated there again this year, but it's now clear that the problem is occurring more frequently than expected elsewhere. The fungal disease also appears to be emerging in fields in Groningen and Drenthe where onions have not been grown before.
Rejection due to fusarium
Several batches are being rejected because they contain fusarium. Heavily contaminated batches are being directed to biogas plants. Lighter contamination would normally be readily available in Poland. However, Poland is not yet present in the Dutch market. Onion processors in Poland are busy with their own harvest and are not yet presenting themselves as customers here.
The only thing growers can do now is wait. The problem is that fusarium is still in its early stages and doesn't yet show any clear external signs. Therefore, diseased onions cannot yet be picked. Therefore, growers are advised to first let the onions develop their disease and then carefully sort out the diseased ones before selling them.
Buyers are calling the presence of fusarium life-threatening. Some companies are even temporarily suspending their onion purchases because they want to wait until the worst of the fusarium problem is over. Despite this, a considerable number of onions are still finding buyers. Buyers also have to be on the road because sellers do a significant amount of business.
Boat brought forward
This week, an additional boat needs to be loaded because another vessel is unable to sail due to malfunctions. On Wednesday afternoon, 5.000 tons of sorted product were quickly purchased to load the boat, which is scheduled to depart on Saturday. It's not that there's a sudden surge in demand, but because one boat can't sail, another has been brought forward.
All in all, the purchasing market remains stable, according to the Emmeloord stock exchange. The price of finer lots has risen slightly and is now virtually at the same level as the coarser lots. This isn't surprising in itself. This is partly because the medium-sized onions are finding their way to Africa, where the vast majority of onions are shipped. On the other hand, the onions aren't as coarse this year.
An onion packer says the onions are quite uniform this year. About 80 to 90% have grown to the 50-80 millimeter size. This translates to good to relatively good yields. Where there are significant differences in grading, yields will be lower.
Higher Yields
Sorters and exporters estimate yields to be 5 to 10 tons per hectare higher than last year. Yields are much better than last year, particularly in the southeast, with regular gross yields of 65 to 80 tons per hectare. Further north, yields have generally been good. In Zeeland, yields are remaining at last year's level due to the drought.
Statistics Netherlands (CBS) has estimated last year's harvest for yellow seed onions at 47 tons per hectare, with regional variations ranging from 39 tons in Zeeland to 52 tons in Flevoland. In North Brabant and Limburg, yields were no better than in Zeeland last year, if at all.