Most onion export destinations feeling a bit weaker

The Dutch onion export in week 41 was slightly less robust than in the previous two weeks. In the first full week of October, 35,468 tons were exported, according to figures from KCB and GroentenFruit Huis. Most destinations saw a slight decrease compared to the end of September. Those were weeks with more than 40,000 tons. This early in the season, that is very exceptional. It is therefore not surprising that the export needs to ease up a bit to avoid overloading the distribution channels in the respective countries. Meanwhile, export figures for this season are running for fifteen weeks. During that period, nearly 450,000 tons have been exported in total. Experiences from previous years show that if exports continue to run smoothly, another 400,000 tons of onions can be exported in the ten weeks leading up to Christmas. However, it must be emphasized that exports shouldn't hit a snag. If there were to be a week with 30,000 tons of exports, then significantly more than 40,000 tons must be delivered in the remaining weeks. Last season, there were a total of four weeks with more than 40,000 tons. At that time, there was also one week of 30,000 tons around mid-October. This was compensated by one week of just over 45,000 tons and one week of 44,000 tons. This year, we have already had four weeks of more than 40,000 tons. For this reason, the lead compared to last year is already 90,000 tons. This indicates that the capacity of the Dutch exporters is in good shape. Now, it is crucial that sales also continue at an extremely high level.Senegal largest buyer Senegal is, as expected, currently the largest buyer of Dutch onions with a total of 94,000 tons of onions. This amount is 34,000 tons larger than last year during the same period. At the end of last season, Senegal was the largest customer with a total of over 181,000 tons. Ivory Coast barely lagged behind Senegal last year with 180,000 tons. This year, the export to Côte d'Ivoire has already surpassed the 80,000 tons mark after fifteen weeks. This gives the export to this West African country a lead of 18,500 tons compared to the same period last year. Mali is also making significant progress. With over 26,000 tons, the export to that country has doubled compared to last year's figures. There have also been significant increases in exports to the United Kingdom, Guinea, Mauritania, the Philippines, Gambia, Honduras, and Sierra Leone.