Egyptian and Dutch onion prices almost level

“The onion market appears to be stabilizing,” says Kees van den Bosch of the Dutch company Freeland. “For a while, it seemed the sky was the limit, but, as it turns out, that’s the case after all. The yellow onion bale prices are now leveling out slightly at around €0.90 for the 60/80 grades. Speculators need to get rid of their onions at some point, too, and it looks like there’s somewhat more product available than a week or two ago.”

Demand, however, is quite broad. “Onions are in good demand, both towards the east of Europe to countries like Poland and Serbia and the south to countries such as Spain and Italy. People are also optimistic about the onion set season. The first onion sets will be back on the market in mid-June,” explains Kees, “and the stakes are high this year. It could be another good trade, but it’s too late for those still wanting to get in. All the sets are sold out.”

According to Kees, Egyptian yellow onions are still sporadic on the market. “Some have already been unloaded, but certainly not in large volumes yet. Those will soon arrive in April and May. But the Egyptian harvest is much smaller this year after last year’s poor yields. Plus, it’s quite difficult to get Egyptian onions now. Payment demands are quite high, and Egyptian onions cost almost as much as Dutch ones,” he concludes.

Tags: Egypt, prices, Netherlands, onion