In the week before Christmas, Dutch onion exports just missed a record this year. The difference is minimal, but preliminary figures from KCB and GroentenFruit Huis show that exports were slightly higher in the same week last year.
The figures show that 45.000 tons of onions were exported in the last week before Christmas. This quantity is almost 300 tons lower than in the same week of 2024. It should be noted, however, that this season's output does not include late-arriving items.
This means that after correction, it may turn out that a new record has actually been achieved. But that would require significant adjustments. In November 2020, there were two weeks that yielded even higher weekly exports than in recent years. In week 46 of 2020, a whopping 47.000 tons of onions crossed the border in a single week.
After a significant dip in the last week of November, with weekly exports of less than 25.000 tons, exports picked up considerably in December. The icing on the cake was an export of 45.007 tons in the last week before Christmas. This makes it the fourth week ever in which onions have exceeded 45.000 tons.
Total exports this season rose to 833.000 tons in the period up to and including week 51. This is the highest amount ever recorded for the same period. So far, 2020 and 2021 have shown the best figures, with an interim figure of around 770.000 tons before Christmas.
Senegal was by far the best customer again in week 51, with an intake of almost 19.000 tons. Sales to Great Britain peaked before Christmas at 4.260 tons. Exports to Ivory Coast, as in the two preceding weeks, were somewhat quieter, at 3.266 tons. Exports to Malaysia and Indonesia did increase, to 2.683 tons and 2.167 tons, respectively.