Sam Vasala travelled to various countries before and after Fruit Attraction in Madrid and after talking to his European clients he reckons there will be another onion shortage in the coming months.
“The European supply determines the worldwide demand,” said Sam. “The Dutch planted late and Spain had issues and they are not expecting the onions to store well, there will also be a shortage of big sizes. There was also 25% less red onions planted as brown onions were in demand. The Peruvians have big sizes but the grapes are more lucrative which is seeing a decline in onion production, in the next few years the land is going be full of grape vines. which makes sense as grapes are more valuable commodity and gets priority in the supply chain.”
Sam exports onions from Tasmania in partnership with a grower under the Perfecta brand. He expects a good yield as the weather has been quite dry.
“If the weather remains dry, we should harvest towards the end of December/ beginning of January. It is a great opportunity to get in early with arrivals into Europe in March when I predict there will be a gap on the European market and prices will be high.
Sam expects to export around 20,000 tones of onions out of Tasmania this season, although this will depend on the packouts. The majority of the crop will be 60-90mm, the 70-80s will go to the Asian and UK markets and the 50-70s will go to Europe.
“We are looking forward to a good season after visiting many of our European clients.”
For more information:
Sam Vasala
Sai World Pty Ltd
Tel: +61 (07) 5641 2217
Mob: +61470406579
Email: [email protected]
www.saiworld.com.au