The demand for red onions is still very sparse, observes Carl van de Wiel of Agro Centre Holland. "But that is also quite normal for the time of year. After all, it is still early in the season. Only when India had an export ban could trade flourish during this period. Unlike the yellow onions that are already going a lot to Africa, Asia and Central America, sales of red onions are still mainly focused on the European market."
"By now, though, all the onions are off the land. We have quite a few more onions than last year, but still less than two years ago. You see that there is a continuous search for a balance between red and yellow onions and the price level largely determines the acreage of the following season. Last year there was a 14% increase in onion acreage, but that year before there was also a 25% contraction, so on balance, we have fewer onions than two years ago. Then prices were quite good, just a lot lower than the yellow onions which were incredibly expensive then. All in all, I think the outlook for red onion sales is positive."
"The prices of the red onions this year are at a much higher level than the yellow ones, especially for the coarse onions. In the medium-sorting, the difference is a lot smaller. In general, you can see that with the red onions, demand is focusing more and more on the coarse sizes. Unfortunately, there are not as many of them this year because we have a smaller falling crop at our disposal after late sowing and a shorter growing season," Carl continues. "The quality of the red onions looks good, although here and there you can see some problems with bacteria pressure with onions from the sandy soils."
Agro Centre Holland has stopped selling pink onions and focuses purely on red onions and shallots. "The market for pink onions was too small for us. We did not have the right varieties and could not make the extra price we needed," explains the onion trader. "For shallots too, the market is getting smaller every year. Besides, it is an expensive, risky crop where the seed alone costs three times as much as onions. This year, yields are not too bad and the price will probably remain fairly level. But with shallots, it is very important to get your marketing right beforehand, because the market is relatively small and the risks are high."
For more information:
Carl van de Wiel
Agro Centre Holland
Neerhofstraat 8
4761 BM Zevenbergen
Tel: +31 (0)168 371230
[email protected]
www.red-onion.com