Will the 2018/2019 season be the most exciting onion campaign in years? Worldwide, the weather has had a major impact on the harvests. Not only Europe was plagued by heat, the mercury also rose high in California. Other parts of the US recorded a lot of rain, and the news coming from Asia were also not all good. 

Onion producers in the Koue Bokkeveld region of the Western Cape are in a favourable position to respond to the shortage of onions in Europe, after adequate rain this past season.

South African onion producers get interest from South America and Asia, as Dutch onion shortages are felt worldwide Cape onion harvest starts amid unique marketing season worldwide Dutch onion traders have been visiting South Africa, some of whom haven’t imported South African onions for many years.

Where are the onions? This is the question that many onion traders around the world have been asking. As a result of the dry, hot summer in Europe, the harvest in the north of the continent is much smaller. In the US, the rain in the late summer had a similar effect on the harvest figures.

Without the aid of food processing, we would not have the convenience of the large variety of food products available in supermarkets and other food outlets.

It was expected that prices would increase for month end, this proved true for tomatoes (6.3% price increase w/w), onions (0.9% increase
w/w) and cabbage (1.5% increase w/w) whilst w/w price declines were experienced by potatoes (3.2%) and carrots (3.3%).

AGRI Trends- for the week of June 2019 

More onions, larger sizes, better quality. After the dramatic 2018 season in Europe and the almost empty market in 2019, this year's yields are again average.

January is traditionally a quiet month in the onion market. Dutch onion traders are currently in the transition between export seasons, now that Senegal has closed its market to imported onions in order to protect its own crops.

In mid-September, India imposed an export ban on its onions, which immediately resulted in a higher demand for Dutch, Spanish, Egyptian, Turkish and Chinese onions in Asia and the Middle East.

The global onion market is stable at the moment. Last year's harvest was good in Europe and North America, but disappointing in India and China.

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2021 has been a year of extremes so far, particularly for the onion market. In the UK in particular, large swings in weather conditions have created a complicated growing season, whilst in the Netherlands, production is up 11% but sales are still slow, as the previous season’s onions hamper export sales.

Weather and logistical issues are a common theme across the global onion market, affecting quality and price in multiple countries.

Since 1980, Klein-Karoo Seed Production has gained international recognition for its multiplication of different types of vegetable seeds. Its forte is the edible members of the Allium family: onions, bunching onions, leeks as well as carrot seeds.

The global onion market is very varied at the moment.

Market participants in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are discussing the prospect of onion prices reaching $1/kg in wholesale trade. This means that retail prices can reach an unprecedented $1.5-$2.0/kg!