Dutch onion exporters have been reporting significant problems for weeks due to the cheap supply of onions from Austria. Just how big is Austria's onion market that Dutch companies are experiencing such significant disruption?
To get straight to the point: Austria is a small player in the European onion market. In terms of acreage, the country only just manages to rank among the top 10 EU countries with the most onions. Austrians normally produce roughly a tenth of the amount that the Netherlands produces.
It should be noted, however, that Austria achieved a record harvest last year. High yields boosted production to almost 220.000 tons. This means the harvest was no less than 45.000 tons (over a quarter) larger than in 2024.
In 2025, Austrians cultivated 3.563 hectares of onions. Nearly 90% of these were located in the northeastern state of Lower Austria. This region borders the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Hungary is also nearby. In terms of sales to Eastern Europe, this region has a clear advantage over Dutch exporters.
With the exception of a small quantity of winter and spring onions, the majority of Austrian onions are summer onions. In the main growing region, these summer onions yielded an average of 65 tons per hectare last year. That was 15 tons per hectare more than in the 2024 harvest year. Partly as a result, total summer onion production rose to almost 190.000 tons last year. These are the onions that Dutch exporters are now experiencing problems with their sales within Europe.
Austrians are offering their onions at competitive prices, which have been stuck at 10 to 13 cents per kilo since December, sorted in crates. Exports from Austria are currently entirely focused on destinations within the EU. According to figures from the European Commission, 250 tons were exported to countries outside the EU in the first half of the season. This means that virtually no onions are shipped to neighboring Switzerland.
For total Austrian onion exports, figures are currently only available for the months of July through November 2025. During that period, just over 43.000 tons were exported. This is the same amount as the Netherlands exported in a good week in October and November.
But the potential is certainly there in Austria. This is evident from exports in November. That month, the country exported 12.300 tons, a significant amount. Figures from previous years indicate that the country also exported similar quantities in February and March, peaking at just over 14.000 tons in March 2021.