The new export season is showing a remarkable turnaround so far. After ending last season with a 6% decline, exports have started strongly this year. Although the first export week of the new crop began rather slowly, with barely more than 6,000 tons, the following week saw an immediate and sharp recovery. Twenty-one weeks later, exports are 13% ahead of the same point in the previous season, according to the HOA.
Highest onion yield of all time
By 2023, the cultivated onion area had almost returned to its 2021 level. According to provisional figures from CBS, this area will increase further in 2024. This harvest season saw a record number of seed onions grown in the Netherlands. The acreage expanded by almost 12%, resulting in a total gross yield increase of nearly 15% to 1.5 million tons compared to last season. This marks the highest yield ever recorded.
Yield up sharply
Both red and yellow onions saw increased cultivation in Dutch fields. The final yield per hectare is expected to be 1.7% higher. CBS provisionally estimates the total gross yield of yellowseed onions at 1.3 million tons, reflecting 13% growth. Meanwhile, red seed onion yield is estimated at 200,000 tons, representing a remarkable 29% increase compared to the previous season.
Stark contrast
These large national growth figures sharply contrast with the yields from Zeeland, traditionally the heart of Holland Onion production. While the national Holland Onion crop reached a record high of 32,000 hectares, the Zeeland farmland area has shrunk to just 2,500 hectares over the past seven years. Zeeland growers struggle with limited access to fresh water, and in recent dry summers, this has led to disastrously low harvests and undersized onions, leaving farmers unable to make a sustainable living.
The onion province of the Netherlands
In terms of onion trade, however, Zeeland remains the undisputed leader. Around 80% of all harvested Holland Onions are sorted and processed in Zeeland. Almost all are then transported via inland waterways to the port of Vlissingen, where they are shipped in refrigerated containers to over 130 countries worldwide.
Export season 2023-2024
Looking back at the previous export season, certain continental European destinations such as Montenegro, Greece, Malta, Croatia, Slovakia, Italy, Slovenia, Austria, and Norway experienced significant export growth, with increases of over 50%.
Conversely, exports to Ukraine, Latvia, Poland, and Luxembourg saw a sharp decline during the 2023-2024 season.
The Great White North
Over the past five years, Dutch onion exports to Canada have grown impressively. In 2019, not a single Holland Onion crossed Canadian borders, but demand began rising steadily in 2021. This culminated in a spectacular 530% increase last season, with export volumes reaching 3.6 million kilograms in 2023-2024. Canadians, it seems, are becoming increasingly fond of Dutch onions.
The current export season
In the top three destinations of the current export season, there are no major surprises. Senegal leads with over 117,000 tons, followed closely by Côte d'Ivoire (103,500 tons) and Britain in third place (49,000 tons). Côte d'Ivoire has more than recovered from last season when it imported just 72,000 tons at this point. Meanwhile, Britain shows another notable decline; total exports last season also fell by 13%. Israel, in seventh position, has already imported almost 23,000 tons and experienced a 53% growth in the 2023-2024 season compared to 2022-2023.
For now, the traditionally strong European export destinations are maintaining their starting positions this season. Following Britain, Belgium holds a solid fifth position. France ranks 12th, with Germany, Ireland, Sweden, and Italy further down the list. Just outside the top 30 are Poland, Finland, the Czech Republic, Norway, and Spain.
Long-haul destinations
Among the Holland Onion's distant markets, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan have returned. Central America is well represented this season, with almost weekly exports to Nicaragua and Honduras. Guatemala (position 27) and El Salvador (position 43) are also on the rise again. Recently
Source: Holland Onion Association