The regional exchanges in Zuid and Emmeloord are unanimous this week regarding onion prices. Both fine and coarse onions are trading at exactly the same prices on both exchanges.
For the fine lots, the grower's price will rise this week to €13 to €15 per 100 kilos. The prices for the coarse lots are still €1 higher, at €14 to €16 per 100 kilos.
A large number of onions are exported, creating a stable atmosphere at regional trade fairs. According to the latest figures from KCB and GroentenFruit Huis, nearly 41.000 tons of onions were exported in week 40. The previous week, the export volume was even slightly higher. This contributed to exports exceeding 400.000 tons by early October. Never before have so many onions been exported in the first three months of the season.
The red onion market is still depressed. Some contract work is being lost, but no new batches are being purchased from growers. The Zuid stock exchange is still managing to record a price of €14 to €18, but even here, it's noted that there are few transactions.
Preliminary harvest estimate
The preliminary harvest estimate figures are expected next Thursday (October 30th). The trade is expecting yields of 50 to 55 tons per hectare, with most expecting the estimate to be closer to 55 tons. This means this year's yield will be much higher than we have been accustomed to in recent years.
Since 2021, yields have remained consistently below 50 tonnes per hectare, with yields ranging from 44,5 to 47 tonnes per hectare over the last three years.
For quantities of 55 tons per hectare, we have to go back to 2017; a year in which all crops showed very high yields. The highest yield was recorded for the 2011 harvest, with a national average of 68 tons per hectare. During that period, onions certainly yielded more kilos than they do now. In the years 2008 through 2012, only one harvest yielded less than 60 tons per hectare.
Intensive cultivation and soil compaction have taken their toll. Fewer options for controlling diseases and pests have exacerbated this effect. As a result, downy mildew, onion fly, and thrips have gained a greater hold on crop growth, thus limiting yields.
Optimal conditions
In 2025, conditions for high yields were optimal, with early sowing and generally good growing conditions thereafter. However, drought in the southwest is causing yields to be disappointing. Even further north, some growers are having to settle for 50 to 55 tons per hectare this year, while they are accustomed to harvests of 70 tons or more.
This doesn't change the fact that there's a large national harvest of seed onions, which, according to insiders, is approaching 1,8 million tons. This figure also includes a significant amount of red onions (over 300.000 tons). However, in practice, there are doubts whether the area of red onions this year has actually been as large as the 2025 Agricultural Census indicated.
If we consider only yellow seed onions, market estimates place production this year at around 1,35 to 1,48 million tons. This means the harvest of these onions is approximately 75.000 to 200.000 tons higher than in 2024. Exports are currently 90.000 tons ahead of last year. However, this does not include the large flow of onions to Poland last year.
Poland asks but offers too little
This year, Poland is not yet on the market. Inquiries are being received, but at €2 to €3 per 100 kilos, bids from Poland remain far too low to make a sale. Poland is harvesting fewer onions this year (-6,7%) than last year. Despite this, prices there are lower than in 2024. To compensate for the smaller domestic harvest, Poles can turn to Ukraine for cheap onions.
Nevertheless, it's expected that Poles will become more willing to buy onions from the Netherlands in the not too distant future. The question remains to what extent they will accept lower quality, combined with the price they are willing to pay.