For a while now, grower prices for onions have been on the rise sharply, but now the bale price has also made quite a jump. "The mood is therefore positive. From a European perspective, there are considerably fewer onions, so that should give opportunities in the second half of the season, although it remains uncertain where the upper limit lies," observes Eric Moerdijk of grading and packing station Monie.
Higher prices are hardly leading to a drop in demand for the time being, according to the packer. "We no longer have the top export figures of last year, but if you see that prices are almost double those of last year, we absolutely cannot complain about exports," Eric says.
"Moreover, stocks at processors are not huge. Everyone is trying to maintain their stocks, but there are no huge surpluses. That is also why we have now been able to make an increase with the bale price. The full capacity isn't being used, but it doesn't have to be. Meanwhile, yellow onions are more expensive than red onions, which have been at this level for longer."
"The question is always whether the price can also go too high, but if there is a real shortage of onions, I don't know if there is a upper limit on the price. You do see that with these prices, competition is more likely to be around the corner. Meanwhile, Christmas demand is starting to come on nicely; due to the rising prices, supermarkets are keen to classify the programmes for December," Eric continues.
Quality-wise, onions do remain an issue, the packer notes. "Fusarium has been quite a problem all season. I hope the most affected batches have been marketed by now. We also need to stay alert to sprouting and skin firmness."
For more information:
Monie Nieuwdorp 
Hertenweg 61
4455 TK Nieuwdorp
+31 (0)113 612845
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www.monie.nl