This year’s British onion harvest could be down by as much as 25 per cent in both volume and size, growers have warned.
While the warm weather in May was initially welcomed as it allowed onions to catch up followingthe late drilling and planting which resulted from the wet spring, the hot and dry June and July have put the crop under considerable stress.
“Growers and their staff have been working round the clock to keep crops irrigated, however there are a number of areas of the country where water abstraction is being limited and their own reserves are very low,' explained British Onions chairman Tim Elcombe.
'Crops are irrigated at this time of year to put on weight and size. But irrigation is currently just keeping the plant alive - crops without irrigation are dying.
“Although there is still some way to grow for most crops, the reduced yield potential for most is already apparent. Most crops are going to suffer from a lack of large onions, which will have an impact on availability of the three-in-line pack formats which are sold in most retailers.”
