"We are in a seasonal transition for onions. The 2023 production is now over and we are already seeing the first harvests of early yellow in Veneto and Emilia Romagna. And the prices? It really depends on the quality and the attention given to the international market," says Matteo Freddi, manager of "Freddi Onions" in the Italian province of Reggio Emilia.
Archive photo of Matteo Freddi.
"It is important that the freshly harvested onion is yellow and not green, which is a discoloration caused by moisture. In the last few weeks, the prices of onions have not been very encouraging, as there has been sufficient availability on the market to meet consumer demand. Now the growers are rightfully expecting a good price, but the international situation cannot be ignored.
On the international market, prices for Dutch onions (2023 harvest) at the time of departure are between €0.30 and €0.35 per kilo, while Egyptian onions (2024 harvest) at the time of arrival in the ports are between €0.50 and €0.60 per kilo.
"Italian distributors like to prefer the Italian product," Freddi points out, "but then the large-scale retailers know the prices of the foreign ones, so they want the best at the lowest price. This puts us in a complex situation, between a rock and a hard place, where it is necessary to negotiate in order to improve the quality of the product and not to be excluded from the market."
Freddi stresses that for the new crop of onions, attention must be paid to the tightness of the tunics, that is, the different layers that make up the onion itself.
"The market is in transition," Freddi concludes. "The very first shipments of white and red onions from Sicily have already arrived, but the quantities are still marginal."
For more information:
Freddi Prodotti Ortofrutticoli S.n.c.
Via Lama, 41
Calerno di S. Ilario d'Enza (RE)
Tel.: +39 0522 679831
E-mail: [email protected]
www.cipollefreddi.it