Onion export now more frequently above than below 40,000 tons

The Dutch onion export has been above 40,000 tons in two of the last three weeks since the end of August. This can be inferred from preliminary figures compiled by the KCB and the GroentenFruit Huis up to week 46. Consequently, a weekly export of more than 40,000 tons is currently more of a rule than an exception. Looking closely, the onion export this season is going remarkably well. Weeks with more than 40,000 tons were very unusual until this season. It is now just becoming normal. Of the sixteen times that the Netherlands exceeded this threshold in weekly exports, eight have occurred this season. And this happened from week 35 to week 46, so from the end of August to mid-November. It has been quiet on the export front for several weeks, according to exporters and packers. This makes it even more remarkable that so many onions are being shipped. However, sellers indicate that the last two weeks have been quieter than before because the markets in West Africa are oversupplied. Purchasing quieter This last point is directly reflected in the purchasing from the farmer. Sorters and packers claim that their stocks are quite in order to sell until Christmas. Therefore, they are not actively participating in the purchasing market for the time being. Farmers who still want to make some deals for the holidays will have to settle for slightly lower prices. There are still some purchases being made here and there, but this is happening at slightly lower prices. The sluggish sales in West Africa will not come as a surprise when looking at the latest export figures. Data that has just been released shows that almost 18,000 tons of onions were shipped to Senegal in week 46. The week before, nearly 12,000 tons were sent. These are also enormous quantities for this West African country. No wonder the market has become somewhat oversupplied. The Ivory Coast had already started to pull back earlier. There, we see the quantities decreasing in weeks 45 and 46. In week 46, the export was just over half of the more than 9,100 tons that were intended for this country two weeks prior. Record one week short According to preliminary figures, the export in the second week of November reached 44,211 tons. This is the second largest quantity the Netherlands has ever exported. Only last year was there a week just before Christmas where 45,283 tons were exported, which is 1,000 tons more. The interim total for this season's export by mid-November stands at 655,000 tons. This quantity is 112,000 tons larger than a year ago. Also, in comparison to the best years 2020, 2021, and 2022, there is a large lead. In those years, approximately 580,000 to 585,000 tons were exported in the period up to mid-November. The lead over those years amounts to 70,000 to 75,000 tons, which is still a significant amount.