"Early kiwifruit season limits shipping space for New Zealand onions"

Last week, the first yellow New Zealand onions arrived for Van der Lans International in the Netherlands. This week, the red onions followed. As usual, the onions were delivered in big bags to the onion grading company Jonika in Oostdijk. "They have been a trusted partner for many years in receiving and distributing our imported onions and remain a reliable company associate." In addition to direct sales in big bags, Van der Lans International also offers its customers added service by supplying onions in retail packaging, as well as in 10 and 25-kg bags. Earlier this year, Andrea Candiano personally visited the New Zealand growers and exporters and observed good yields per hectare, along with excellent quality and size grading.

Demand for New Zealand onions is picking up relatively early this year. "Thanks to the renewed trade agreement between New Zealand and the EU, import duties are no longer applicable on onion imports. That translates to a 9.6% saving on the c+f value, making prices more attractive. Last year, the price level at the start of the season was too high, which made sales challenging. This year, due to current market conditions in Europe, prices are considerably lower, and we are already seeing solid demand from wholesale markets. Retail programmes will begin after Easter."

Last year, New Zealand exported up to 46,000 tons of onions to Europe. This year's exports also got off to a good start, but shipment issues have disrupted the flow. "Typically, New Zealand exporters aim to have onions shipped before 1 April, as that's when the kiwi fruit season begins. However, this year, the kiwi fruit season was brought forward by two weeks," Andrea explains.

"While CMA offers a faster connection via the Panama Canal, this route is currently being used for kiwi shipments, making it temporarily less accessible for onions. For routes with longer transit times, the onions currently being loaded in New Zealand won't arrive in Rotterdam until around week 24 or 25. That's relatively late in the season and may affect the market balance and availability in Europe."

"Indonesia remains closed to New Zealand onion imports for now. New Zealand relies on the issuance of import licences by Indonesia, which is currently placing added pressure on stocks of the 50/70 mm grades in particular. At first glance, this might suggest that more onions would be redirected to the EU, but in reality, logistical challenges in New Zealand complicate this," Andrea says. He expects that the lower export volume may positively influence sales within the European market. "For now, fewer onions are being ordered from Germany and the Netherlands, possibly due to existing domestic stocks. However, France has actually increased its orders."

For more information:
Andrea Candiano
Van der Lans International
Gerrit van der Veenlaan 18
3743 DN Baarn
andrea@vanderlans.com
www.vanderlans.com