Dutch onion exports still managed to sell a substantial volume of onions over the Christmas period. Many onion farms remained closed or operated at minimal capacity over Christmas and New Year's Eve. Nevertheless, 45.000 tons of onions were exported during those two weeks.
In week 52, a total of 25.118 tons were shipped, according to preliminary figures from the KCB and the GroentenFruit Huis. Senegal was the main destination for the onions, with a volume of 6.830 tons. Other major buyers, in order of large export quantities, were Ivory Coast, Indonesia, Great Britain, Malaysia, and Gambia.
During New Year's week, Senegal and Ivory Coast were once again the largest buyers. Great Britain, Gambia, and Indonesia were also among the biggest buyers. According to preliminary data, total exports that week remained just under 21.000 tons, but compared to previous years, this is still a substantial volume for that week.
Export activities have now brought the current export volume to 878.000 tons. This represents a 95.000-ton increase compared to the same period last season. This represents a 12% increase. Never before have so many onions been exported in the first half of the season as in the recent period. The difference compared to the peak years of 2020 and 2021 is still around 50.000 tons.