The Egyptian onion season is progressing calmly. Egypt has no competition in the red onion market, while the Netherlands has a stranglehold on the yellow onion market. So says Zayed Lasheen, CEO of AfriGoodGrow.
Lasheen says, "This season the volumes of Egyptian red onions are gigantic, which has reduced prices despite the calm competition. We started the season at EUR 500 CFA Rotterdam, down from EUR 750 last season, and prices have now dropped to EUR 460."
"Demand comes mainly from Western Europe, especially England, as this market has a preference for red onions. Consumers in Eastern Europe prefer yellow onions and find their supply in the Netherlands. In any case, it's difficult to compete with the Netherlands, which has very low prices this season," adds Lasheen.
But the grower warns, "Prices are going to increase, and soon. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, onions are losing some of their water content, which increases costs, and secondly, it's getting harder and harder to source higher quality onions from Egypt, especially onions grown in desert sandy soil."
"In Egypt, there are onions grown in muddy dark soil, which are soft, susceptible to fungus and root rot, and fragile upon handling. These problems can surface after the packing: in transit or even after delivery. On the other hand, onions grown in desert sandy soil are stronger, more nutritious, and easy to harvest and sort, which preserves their firmness."
"At Afrigoodgrows, we are lucky enough to grow in a desert area, which allows us to maintain the same level of quality throughout the rest of the season," concludes Lasheen.
For more information:
Zayed Lasheen
AfriGroodGrow
Tel: +420 739 019 060
Email: [email protected]
www.afrigoodgrow.com