The New Zealand onion export season is virtually finished and growers are now looking to the new season harvest which is expected to start in November.
"This year a crop of good quality onions was produced with a more typical yield than the previous two years. Unfortunately, the markets underperformed in terms of volume and price. The European market was challenging due to greater than expected Dutch and German onions remaining at the latter part of the season. Fewer onions were shipped to Indonesia due to phytosanitary and import quota issues. This, in turn put pressure on pricing in other Asian markets due to increased volume," explains Simon Vale from Balle Bros.
"The local market is slowly growing due to increasing population. Pricing in the local market reflects what prices are being achieved for exports."
New Zealand imports very few onions in a typical year, possibly as little as 2-300 tonnes and any imports are usually red onions from the USA.
The onion export season is virtually finished now at the end of October, and new season onions are expected to start being harvested during November for local market and export to The Pacific Islands. The main export crop will be harvested from the beginning of January.
"We plant onion seed from June to September which is over winter. As usual, the weather can be challenging at this time of the year, but we managed to get all fields planted on time, and so far, the crops are looking good.
"No onion season is the same, and it looks like another challenging season ahead. European stocks look high, but there appears to be a question mark over storability. We believe there will be opportunities for New Zealand onions in both Europe and Asia, and we are looking forward to engaging with customers over the next few months to set up programs for the coming season."
For more information:
Simon Vale
Balle Bros. Exports Ltd.
Tel: + 64 9 2370898
Email: [email protected]
www.ballebros.co.nz