The UK onion harvest is showing an approximate reduction of 20 per cent in gross yields with most of the crop gathered in.

John Patrick, British Onions chairman said: “The challenging and delayed growing season means that the storage phase for British onions will also have challenges to growers.”

The September harvest accounted for 55 per cent of the British crop and ran two weeks later than normal but size and quality were good and storage potential remained normal.

Meanwhile, the late-September to mid-October harvest accounted for 25 per cent of the crop and the product is characterised by coarser necks and fleshier bulbs. Harvest conditions were only average and therefore so is storage potential.

The final fifth of the crop has had poor harvest conditions and with staining on skins and thick necks its storage potential is poorer and it therefore needs to be sold quickly

Patrick added: “The industry must now work together to maximise the utilisation of the national crop. The considerable investment made by growers in new stores and technology, puts us in a strong position to meet these storage challenges.

“It is crucial that the packing industry and retailers recognise, that size and specifications need to be managed to maximise utilisation. This will help protect against a hype in the market in the New Year and also maximise farm-gate return, in a year where production costs per tonne have escalated.”

Onion growers are also keen for customers to make an early call on tweaking specifications so the whole crop can be managed and avoid an early finish.

“Sales remain good across all sectors and hopefully by making small changes early, we can continue to deliver quality for final consumers, whilst keeping UK product on the shelf for the normal window,' concluded Patrick.

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