One month into the French yellow onion season, Patrick Flin, manager of Paris Ail, takes stock of the market. "Imports are now finished, and we are working on all the early yellow onion varieties, which will finish in 2 to 3 weeks. This new harvest is facing quality problems due to diseases that have appeared as a result of the recent bad weather and thermal shocks. Many plots have been affected by mildew, resulting in size problems, with a majority of smaller onions."
The start of the season saw some ups and downs in terms of production, but consumption has been quite good. "We have a fairly dynamic market, as prices have fallen considerably over the last 2-3 months. This drop began with the massive arrival of Spanish products on the market in April/May. Prices then fell to around 0.25-0.30 eurocents per kilo [0.28-0.33 USD/kg], compared with levels of around 0.60 eurocents [0.66 USD] at the end of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024. These particularly high prices have penalized certain growers, especially Dutch producers, generating very large stocks and encouraging certain importing countries, such as countries in Africa, to develop their domestic production."
For more information:
Patrick Flin
Paris Ail
26 Avenue de Lorraine
CP 70112
94512 Rungis Cedex, France
Phone: +33 156 702 702
[email protected]