Dutch onion exports suffered a significant setback in the final week. In week 5, exports remained below 16.000 tons, according to preliminary figures from the KCB and the GroentenFruit Huis.
The end of January and February are often not the best periods for onion exports. But a drop below 16.000 tons is a significant setback. Exporters and packers estimate that around 20.000 tons of onions will need to be exported weekly to effectively sell the onion stock in the Netherlands this season.
In the preliminary figures, KCB has also made minor adjustments to the export volumes in previous weeks. This has resulted in a reduction of approximately 2.500 tons in the preliminary figures from week 27 in 2025 onwards.
Combined with the fact that exports in week 5 are lower than a year ago, this results in a diminishing lead compared to last season. Currently, a lead of just over 9% remains, while exports up to mid-November were still over 20% higher than in the 2024-2025 season.
In week 5, Ivory Coast was by far the largest buyer, with nearly 4.200 tons. The previous week, slightly fewer onions were shipped to Ivory Coast, but in week 5, a large volume was again recorded. Total sales to Ivory Coast thus increased to approximately 156.000 tons.
Sales to Great Britain also picked up again in week 5 after a quieter export season in week 4. The British are buying significantly more onions than last season. The current volume now stands at over 93.000 tons, over a third more than the previous year.
Gambia also purchased more than 1.000 tons of Dutch onions in week 5. Sales to other destinations were somewhat smaller.