exciting milestone reached: export value Holland Onions rockets

As the ongoing export season enters its 37th week, it's trailing behind the previous season by 13%. However, amidst this, there's also a remarkable achievement: in 2023 the export turnover has surged by a staggering 49%, shattering the epic barrier of 1 billion euros. Despite this, the export volume counter is proceeding more cautiously compared to previous years, currently standing at over 850,000 tons.

Another season of extremes
Once again, the Netherlands experienced an exceptionally erratic growing season, characterized by substantial variations in harvest sizes nationwide. Some regions endured nearly 40 consecutive days without rain—a record-breaking dry spell for the country. Conversely, July brought prolonged and heavy rainfall, with all its ensuing consequences. It was a season of both drought and excess precipitation, resulting in yield issues, diminished average sizes, and a scarcity of large onions, particularly in southern areas.

Increase in yellow onion cultivation in 2023
The total area dedicated to Dutch seed onions reached 29.3 thousand hectares, marking a 6.7 percent increase of 2 thousand hectares compared to 2022. This rebounded from a 9 percent decrease in cultivation area the previous year, returning to 2021 levels. Yellow seed onions accounted for 87 percent of the area (compared to 82 percent in 2022), with red seed onions occupying the remaining 13 percent.

Nearly 15% growth in harvest size of yellow onions
According to final figures from the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the gross yield per hectare of yellow seed onions in 2023 is estimated at 46.2 tons, nearly 2 percent higher than in 2022. Additionally, the total cultivated area expanded to over 25 thousand hectares, a surge of almost 14 percent from the previous year. This resulted in the harvesting of nearly 1.2 million tons of yellow seed onions, representing an increase of almost 15%. Approximately 1.1 million tons of the harvested yellow onions are available for the export market.

Red onion yield decreases by one-fifth
With a yield of 42.3 tons per hectare, the production of red seed onions also saw an increase compared to the previous season, up by 5.8 percent. However, red seed onions were cultivated on nearly 4 thousand hectares in the Netherlands, marking a 20 percent decrease from the previous year. The total harvest of red seed onions in the 2023 season amounted to 157 thousand tons, representing a reduction of over 20 percent from the previous year. Nevertheless, the Dutch onion sector has raised concerns regarding this significant decline, suspecting that split plots, where both red and yellow seed onions are grown, are being reported as complete plots of yellow onions during the count. This may present a distorted picture of the actual harvested volume of red and yellow onions. 

Breaking the epic barrier
Despite the consecutive decline in total Dutch export volume for the second year, the Netherlands maintains a firm grip on the onion export market with a stabile 20% market share. Driven by robust and sustained global demand for the Holland Onion, the value of Dutch onion exports is set to soar by a remarkable 49 percent in 2023, due to the higher onion prices (source: Fresh Produce Centre). The export value of fresh Dutch onions has thus surpassed the epic milestone of 1 billion euros, even more securing the Holland Onion former 2022 market share of 21.5%. 

^{Share in global onion export value in 2022
Bron: https://www.tridge.com/intelligences/onion}

Declines among the top 25
The recent decrease in onion export volume can be attributed to several countries procuring fewer Dutch onions compared to the previous year. Notably, traditionally robust markets such as Malaysia, the Dominican Republic, and Poland have substantially reduced their purchases of Holland Onions this season. Even within the top 25, shipments to Great Britain and Ivory Coast have experienced declines of over 10,000 and 34,000 tonnes respectively, compared to the previous season. Israel on the other hand boosted Holland Onion imports and is therefore now occupying the 10th position.

Volume plussers
Senegal, in contrast, is experiencing over a 5% increase compared to last season. Additionally, our neighboring countries including Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, and Portugal show no signs of being deterred by the high price of Holland Onions; in fact, they exhibit growing interest. Austria, Iceland, Malta, the Canary Islands, Finland, and Greece also demonstrate consistent growth. This robust demand is predominantly observed within Europe, while other regions appear to exhibit more reserved import behavior, with notable exceptions such as Canada, Japan, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines, which are making significant gains and seem to be multiplying their imports this season. 

Expanding reach in Africa
Similar trends are seen in African destinations like Mauritania, Mali, Equatorial Guinea, and Gambia. Substantial quantities of Holland Onions are also being received at the quays of the Seychelles, the smallest African country consisting of 115 islands, as well as at the ports on the other African archipelago, Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean. Dutch onions find their way to diverse corners of the globe. Brazil is back in demand, and increased quantities of Holland Onions are also being shipped to Eastern European destinations such as Azerbaijan, Croatia, Montenegro, and the Czech Republic.