The supply of onions across North America is relatively good right now. “Next week through the end of August and into September, we’re going to see ample volume,” says John Harris of Paradigm Fresh.
Yellow onions: Across the board, the supply of yellow onions is ample. “There seem to be a lot of medium yellows on the market right now. Jumbo yellows are doing a little bit better,” says Harris. He notes that on the front end of the Washington deal, there is hardly any size and that it’s mostly a medium and jumbo deal. “Idaho should have mediums through supers this year. I’m expecting a bit of a depressed market on yellows,” he says.
White onions: This week, white onions are quite short because the onions are taking a little longer to cure. “A lot of people had planned on running this week. However that tightness should loosen up because they got pushed to next week,” Harris says, adding that the price of white onions right now is stronger.
Red onions: In the red market, there is just the right amount of supply currently and the market is steady. “It’s a good market on red onions,” adds Harris.
Regional updates
In terms of regions, while New Mexico is largely finished its production with a bit of product left, California also still has some onions--primarily yellow with a bit of red and virtually no whites. Washington has a mix of all three colors plus sweet onions while Idaho and Eastern Oregon have started up with primarily yellows and a handful of white and red onions. “They pretty much just started production this week. Overall Idaho and Washington both had a really good growing year so there’s going to be great quality on onions in all of the Northwest regions this year for sure,” says Harris.
At the same time, Canada has also begun production while Michigan, Colorado and New York will get going by the end of August.
In terms of demand, it’s on the slower side right now. “The end of August and the beginning of September is always a little quiet in the produce industry. However we have a holiday coming up so there’s usually a little bit more of a pull then,” says Harris.
As for a longer-term outlook, Harris says through the end of 2023, there are going to be ample supplies of yellows while red and white onion supplies should be steady, ultimately making for a pretty good market.
For more information:
John Harris
Paradigm Fresh
Tel: +1 (970) 775.2049
[email protected]
www.paradigmfresh.com