Spain and Morocco give onion exports a strong boost

Morocco and Spain are providing welcome support to Dutch onion exports. Partly because of this, exports in week 12 came to just above 20,000 tons. In the third week of March, Great Britain was once again the largest customer of Dutch onion exporters, with purchases of 3,450 tons. The British have now bought almost 120,000 tons of onions this season, according to preliminary figures from KCB and GroentenFruit Huis. That is more than 40% more than in the same period last season. Like the British, the Spanish were also in the market for large Dutch onions during this period. In week 12, the volume rose to 2,200 tons. That makes it the second week in a row that Spain has taken more than 2,000 tons. Total sales to this country are therefore almost a quarter higher than last year. After Great Britain and Spain, Malaysia follows as the main buyer in the third week of March. After a few quieter weeks, this country placed larger orders in mid-March, good for just over 1,700 tons. Guinea remains active in the market as well. In week 12, sales came to almost 1,600 tons. That means Guinea is buying slightly more onions than Morocco, which stands out this season with relatively large imports from the Netherlands. After almost 1,700 tons in week 11, around 1,500 tons were exported to Morocco in week 12. In previous years, this country hardly appeared in the export figures. The last time Morocco sourced onions from the Netherlands was in 2022, when 58 tons were imported just before Christmas. This is shown in an overview compiled by the Holland Onion Association based on KCB figures. In 2020 and early 2021, small volumes were purchased occasionally, with the highest weekly volume being 146 tons in week 6 of 2021. Due to water damage earlier this year, a gap has arisen between the old and new harvest in Morocco. This shortage is being covered by imports, mainly from the Netherlands. Some exporters expect Morocco to remain active in the market for a few more weeks. The low price level also plays a role in this.