GLOBAL MARKET OVERVIEW ONIONS

Netherlands: Dry weather boosts export market as prices riseThe dry weather has boosted sentiment in the onion market. "Compared with last year, it's a much better start. Tight availability and good demand in July have brought positive sentiment to the market. Prices started at an acceptable level and have been rising by one or two cents every week," says a Dutch exporter."Since the end of last week, trade has been a little quieter, but we are seeing exports nicely spread across the different markets. Bag prices for medium sizes are around €0.25-€0.26, while large sizes and supers are fetching another cent or two. I also expect these prices to hold, because availability is tight and everyone is dealing with the same weather conditions.""After last year, few people will have taken positions, so I expect higher prices can still be achieved for seed onions over the longer term. At the same time, we always have to be careful not to push prices beyond the point where we start losing destination markets when availability increases again," the exporter says.The first loads of red onions for overseas destinations have also been shipped, with 60-80 mm onions now fetching €0.45. "All in all, the market outlook is very healthy. It's not as frantic as it is in potatoes, because when you look at how dramatically low the price level was, the move up to the current €0.35 is a huge step."Italy: Harvest nearly complete with stable yieldsItalian onion production is now almost fully harvested. Yields have remained largely stable, with a slight decline in Emilia-Romagna, one of the country's main production areas.A major onion trader in northern Italy reports that the high temperatures recorded in recent weeks, frequently reaching around 40°C in Emilia-Romagna, have led to lower yields and some quality losses, with part of the crop suffering from sun damage.However, no major issues have been reported in other key production areas, suggesting that overall Italian onion production remains fairly stable.Prices are currently low, mainly due to limited consumer demand. However, low onion consumption is typical in Italy during August, when high temperatures tend to shift consumer preferences towards fresher vegetables and fruit.Spain: Early storage harvest revives export demandThe storage, or Grano, onion harvest is already underway in Spain, up to 15 days ahead of the usual schedule due to the dry and hot summer. The arrival of these late-season onions is driving a recovery in international demand and prices after a very difficult commercial period caused by oversupply across Europe. "These onions have more skin, better color, and superior storage quality compared with earlier varieties, and that's leading to a reactivation of export demand," says a representative of the sector. "We've had several months of a commercially disastrous campaign, with very slow demand and serious difficulties in marketing the production. This resulted in prices falling even below the cost of production."In 2026, the onion acreage in Spain has remained fairly stable at around 24,000 hectares. However, yields will be lower due to heat stress on the plants and shortened growing cycles, which have prevented bulbs from reaching their full size potential. On top of that, there has been more thrips damage due to the very dry summer, and it has not been possible to keep the pest effectively under control due to the limited range of crop protection products available. This has taken a toll on plant development and, consequently, on yields per hectare. The first storage onions being harvested are transplanted crops, and there is a good supply of large sizes, whereas direct-seeded onions are generally expected to be smaller this year due to the shortened production cycle brought on by the early harvest.Germany: Winter harvest underwayThe first winter onions have already been harvested, with yields and quality proving good. From calendar week 30 onwards, there was a gradual transition from ULO-stored produce to new winter onions. From May until the second half of July, around 10,000 tons of ULO produce will be marketed.The main harvest of yellow onions began in early August, with storage set to commence from the second half of August. For shallots and red onions, a supply gap of around four weeks is expected until the new harvest in August. Dutch onion sets are currently being exported at relatively affordable prices, which could ease pressure on the German and Polish markets later on.Rising export demand for seed onions is leading to more stable prices. At the same time, onion stocks are suffering from persistent heat and drought. Good quality is currently expected, although sizes will be smaller. Bacterial rot is occurring sporadically again this year, which is why regular checks of stocks are recommended.Poland: Direct harvesting offers an alternative to low wholesale pricesA farmer in southwestern Poland is allowing customers to harvest onions directly from his field for 1 złoty (€0.23) per kilogram after wholesale prices fell below the level needed to cover harvesting and transport costs.The farmer has between 350 and 400 tons of white onions remaining across eight hectares. Local buyers offered 18 groszy per kilogram, about €0.04, which he said would not cover harvesting and transport. Without an alternative, the onions could have been left in the field and plowed into the soil.The farmer attributed some of the price pressure to onions imported from the Netherlands, as suppliers cleared stocks ahead of the new harvest. Poland imported 50,200 tons of onions and shallots in the first four months of 2026, with more than 67 per cent coming from the Netherlands. In April, Dutch shipments averaged about €0.19 per kilogram.Austria: Summer supply remains limitedThe marketing of winter onions is now well advanced. At the same time, the summer onion harvest is becoming increasingly challenging due to the high summer temperatures. Available supply remains limited, and prices are consequently trending upwards. At the start of the week, producer prices for loose onions stood at €25 to €28 per 100 kg, above the levels recorded in previous weeks.North America: West Coast onion shipping still faces high freight ratesHigh freight costs are challenging the North American onion market. Freight from the West Coast to the East Coast this summer has been $10-$12/50 weight.Right now, as New Mexico finishes its fresh crop onion supply, California is also winding down production approximately two weeks earlier than normal, with strong markets encouraging growers to finish the season.In the Pacific Northwest, some grower-shippers in Washington are growing early onions, putting pressure on the market.Quality will be something to watch, given that onion-growing regions such as Oregon have faced both weather and water issues. An anticipated lower supply will help support good markets this season, although good Canadian supply will put pressure on West Coast markets.Meanwhile, with both demand and contract pricing up, quality will again determine how well grower-shippers perform.The freight issue is also influencing the global onion trade, with New Zealand onions available on the East Coast. Freight rates from New Zealand to New York are 60 per cent of the freight cost from California to New York. Other countries, such as Japan and Spain, are also eyeing shipments to the East Coast.India: Delayed red onion crop and UK deal shape exportsIndia's onion market is facing tighter availability of export-quality produce, with production estimated at around 20% below last year. Quality losses in stored onions are further limiting exportable supplies. Premium onions are trading at higher levels, while demand remains firm across Southeast Asia, as well as markets in the Middle East, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Other origins competing with Indian onions include China, Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan.The next red onion season is expected to be delayed by around 30 to 45 days, potentially keeping export-grade supplies tight and prices firm through September and October.Meanwhile, the India-UK Free Trade Agreement has opened opportunities to expand onion exports to the UK and improve India's competitive position against established suppliers. However, longer transit times of around 6–7 weeks make post-harvest handling and storage performance crucial for maintaining quality during shipment.Egypt: Season ends amid weaker European demandEgypt's onion season has wrapped up, although exporters continue shipping both red and yellow varieties from cold storage. Production was strong across both varieties this year, with growers reporting abundant volumes. Demand, however, was weaker than expected. One exporter says, "Demand for Egyptian onions this season fell short of expectations, especially from the European market. The bulk of our trade this season was directed toward Arab markets, led by Saudi Arabia, while European sales were concentrated among a smaller group of core buyers in the Netherlands and the UK."The slowdown is reflected in official figures. Egypt's National Food Safety Authority reported 11,000 tons of onion exports for the week of August 1–7, 2026, making onions the country's second-most-exported vegetable that week. An earlier report from Egypt's quarantine authority put fresh onion exports at 85,000 tons for the first half of 2026, compared with average annual exports of roughly 200,000 tons between 2020 and 2024, according to PEI Trade figures.Next Topic: RaspberriesPublication date: Fri 14 Aug 2026© FreshPlaza.com / Stefan Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen