Onions are one of the most consumed vegetables in Switzerland. The annual per capita consumption of all onion varieties is more than 5 kilos. Unlike many vegetables, onions are available all year round from local cultivation. The yellow onion is the second most important outdoor crop after carrots in terms of acreage.
Onions are harvested from April to November. However, Swiss onions are in season all year round - from November to May they come out of storage. In 2022, different onion varieties were grown on over 1,300 hectares. Vaud, Bern and Solothurn are the largest Swiss producers of Swiss onions.
Onion producers defy the challenges
Despite challenges, the area under onion cultivation has increased in recent years and this year the area under yellow onions, including butcher's onions, totals 997 hectares. Together with other onion varieties such as the bunching onion and the shallot, onions are grown on 1391 hectares in Switzerland.
9,563 tonnes of edible and butcher's onions as well as red and white onions were imported in 2022.
Source: lid