With the lifting of pandemic control measures, onion exports have gradually returned to normal. The European market was affected by the reduction in production last quarter, and the demand surged. At present, the export volume of onions has risen sharply compared with previous months, and the price is on the rise. Manager Wang is the sales manager of Jining Shangzhuo Food Co., Ltd. He shared his views on the recent onion harvest and the expected export situation for the new season with FreshPlaza.
According to Manager Wang, the fresh onion in Yunnan in 2023 has been delivered since March 18th. The output of Yunnan origin this season is basically the same as last year. "In terms of origin, the planting area of yellow onions in China is usually larger than that of red onions, which are mainly sold domestically, and yellow onions are mainly exported to overseas markets."
"In overseas markets, orders to South Korea have declined, but the demand in the European market is big. Affected by the hot weather in 2022, onion production in Europe has decreased, so there is a great demand for imported onions. Jining Shangzhuo Food Co., Ltd. currently exports peeled onions of 60-80mm/80-100mm in 20kg/box, with an annual export volume of about 15,000 tons. Onion-producing areas include Gansu, Yunnan, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Henan and Shandong, with exports going to Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan and South Korea. We have also increased the export of frozen onion products," said Manager Wang.
"In terms of shipping, some shipping companies have recently reduced the number of ships to avoid falling freight rates. This has led to a scarcity of positions and a slight increase in shipping prices."
When talking about the market expectations in the next few weeks, Manager Wang said, "After Yunnan onions are off the market, onions from Jiangsu, Henan and Shandong provinces will be on the market one after another. It is expected that the export volume of onions will continue to increase in the next few weeks, and the harvest will also increase, which will have a certain impact on the market price."
Besides onions, ginger, garlic, apples, and pears are also the main export products of Jining Shangzhuo Food Co., Ltd.