Polish Statistics Office confirms small onion harvest

At the end of September, the statistics office published a preliminary harvest estimate of roughly 630.000 tons. The new estimate is close to that figure and thus confirms this situation. This means that Polish domestic production this year is 6,4% lower than last year.

This finding is striking given the low prices paid in Poland this year. Moreover, several large Polish onion companies in the Netherlands have been spreading reports that a substantial harvest has been produced, and that this was the reason for the low prices in Poland.

Polish companies were initially uninterested in Dutch onions. Interest did increase in December, but Poles were unwilling to pay more than 3 to 4 cents per kilo. Some business was done, but according to traders, sales in their case were limited to a few truckloads per week.

Last year, large quantities of Dutch onions were shipped to Poland. This created a solid base for the market at the time. It also led to Dutch stocks being cleared faster than anticipated, resulting in a significant final surge in prices. In February, the onion market was briefly depressed, but suddenly there were fewer onions in stock than anticipated.

Dutch onion prices rose from 15 cents in February 2025 to 20 cents in March. The following month, they saw large weekly increases, pushing prices above 40 cents per kilo by the end of the season. Dutch onion exports are performing much better this season than last year, but sales of lower-quality onions to Poland have so far been minimal compared to the large quantities shipped there last year.

Compared to last year, Poles themselves have grown primarily fewer onions. According to official figures, the area decreased from 25.000 hectares in 2024 to 22.300 hectares last year. Yields per hectare were higher in 2025, at 28,4 tons per hectare, compared to 27 tons in 2024. However, this was far from enough to compensate for the smaller cultivation area.