The Dutch onion crop could be as much as 10 per cent down on last year, but will still be in plentiful supply in the UK.
Adriaan van Belzen, export manager at Mulder Onions, told freshinfo he expects the onion crop to be down around six per cent on last year, but admits this could reach as much as 10 per cent.
Last year, the Netherlands’ onion crop was around 1.2 million tonnes, and van Belzen believes that a 1mt crop this year will still prove sufficient in supplying export markets.
He said: “Last year was a bumper crop and we were looking fine for that again until August, when we could have had some more rain.
“Prices from the UK have got better since last year, when they were dramatic, and now it’s a very steady market. We are benefiting, as the UK seems to have grown fewer onions, with growers focusing on commodity crops, and globally it is looking more positive.
“We are quite quick at packing and shipping here so we have definite advantages.”
According to the latest data from Dutch-based company Marktbeeld Uien, around 1000mt to 1,400mt of onions are being shipped from the Netherlands a week.
