Old and new crop onion markets remain clearly segregated

The 2025 onion crop has not yet been fully cleared, yet supplies of new-season onions are already beginning to emerge. However, old and new crop onions are effectively two separate markets, which is clearly reflected in current bag prices.The marketing season for the 2025 onion harvest is drawing to an unremarkable close. Growers who still have unsold onions in storage are primarily focused on finding an outlet for them, with price now playing only a minor role.Due to the quality issues that have been surfacing for some time, some graders and packers have taken positions in the market. Onions that were contracted a month or more ago at perhaps as much as €15 per tonne are now proving to have been purchased at prices that are far too high. With the benefit of hindsight, much can be said about those decisions, but what is done cannot be undone.The ample supply of good-quality 2025 crop onions at low prices is also putting pressure on bag prices. Triplets and medium grades are holding up reasonably well. These sizes are typically shipped to more distant destinations and, given the slightly longer transit times involved, exporters generally prefer onions from storage. According to market insiders, the risk of quality issues arising during transport is lower than with very early new-season onions.Larger sizes, which are usually sold into nearby markets, are proving more difficult to move. Southern Europe is now harvesting its own new crop. Countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and France also prefer fresh new-season onions. In the UK, additional supplies have also arrived from New Zealand. As a result, the DCA onion bag price has fallen sharply, particularly for coarse grades and supers.Trade in new Dutch onions has yet to gain real momentum. “The few loads traded last week and this week do not tell us very much about the market yet,” according to one industry insider. If weather forecasts prove accurate, larger volumes of early planted onions will become available next week.Graders and packers are quoting prices of around €40 for sorted product for next week. Buyer interest remains limited at those levels. If harvesting progresses smoothly and yields remain above average, as has been the case with the first onions harvested, prices could quickly ease back by several steps.Will Africa enter the market early?The harvest is relatively early in the Netherlands and, to absorb the expected volumes, demand from Africa will be required. Senegal typically opens its borders to imported onions around mid-August or early September. Exporters and packers are already speculating about when the market may open this season.Some report hearing from local contacts that Senegal still has sufficient onion stocks, although quality is said to be poor. Others believe there is little sign of Senegal running short of onions and therefore do not expect imports to begin earlier than usual. And, of course, there are always stories suggesting that the African way of doing business differs somewhat from the European approach. Perhaps the most realistic view comes from exporters who simply say: we will find out soon enough when Africa starts asking for our onions.