comeback export growth

After two seasons of significant decline, Dutch onion exports are back with an impressive 17% growth. Old markets have been reclaimed, new opportunities are emerging, and red onions are making unprecedented gains. From Malaysia to Honduras, from Finland to Tahiti, Holland Onions are in high demand worldwide. Discover all the numbers, trends, and surprises of the 2024/2025 export year.

Comeback in Export Growth
The 2024/2025 export season (week 27 to week 26) marks a clear turnaround. Since 2018, exports had been steadily rising, peaking at 1,296,000 tons in 2021/2022. However, this growth was interrupted by two consecutive seasons of significant decline. Even so, those seasons demonstrated that Dutch onions remained in demand and sold at high prices. This year, exports are back on the rise, and the Netherlands has regained market share in countries such as China and Egypt. The final figure reached 1,238,272 tons—a 17 percent increase compared to the previous season. This comeback brings renewed confidence to the Dutch onion sector for the seasons ahead, especially if prices remain competitive on the global market.

More onions from Dutch soil
The recovery in global markets goes hand in hand with growth in Dutch onion fields. Both red and yellow onions enjoyed a strong season. According to final CBS figures, the gross yield of yellow onions in 2024 was just under 1.3 million tons, reflecting an area nearly 13 percent larger than the previous year. Red onions saw an even more dramatic increase, with production adjusted to over 203,000 tons—a 30 percent rise compared to 2023. Red onions are highly sought after and are reaching more destinations in larger volumes than ever before.

2025 promises another record year
And the growth is not slowing down. In 2025, a record area of onion seed will be sown: 33,200 hectares, 3.6 percent more than last year. This increase is entirely due to red onions, whose cultivation will expand by an impressive 35.6 percent. Yellow onions remain dominant, accounting for 81.1 percent of total area, though red onions are steadily gaining ground.

Brabant takes the lead
The growth of Dutch onion acreage is driven largely by the southern provinces. North Brabant, in particular, made strong progress, with cultivation increasing by 17 percent to 4,867 hectares, according to preliminary CBS data. This makes the province, after Flevoland, the second-largest supplier of Holland Onions. Drenthe, Groningen, and Friesland also reported substantial growth, showing that access to sufficient freshwater is increasingly crucial for successful onion cultivation.

Zeeland remains the heart of the industry
The heart of the sector still lies in Zeeland. Around 80 percent of all Dutch onions are sorted, processed, and packaged there. Onions from other provinces are mostly transported via inland waterways to the port of Vlissingen, where they begin their overseas journey in refrigerated containers. When including second-year onion plantings, Zeeland ranks third in total production. The six largest onion-producing provinces this season collectively cultivate 31,963 hectares of seed and plant onions—over 80 percent of the national area (39,259 ha). In order of size: Flevoland: 9,128 ha; North Brabant: 6,298 ha; Zeeland: 5,186 ha; Groningen: 4,730 ha; Drenthe: 3,599 ha; South Holland: 3,022 ha.

Senegal, Ivory Coast, and the UK lead
Which countries bought the most Holland Onions this year? The top three are familiar names. Senegal leads again with over 181,000 tons, followed closely by Ivory Coast with nearly 180,000 tons—a remarkable 77.5 percent increase from last season. The UK remains in third place with 114,000 tons, though imports declined by 14 percent. Israel also stands out, climbing to seventh place with a nearly 71 percent increase after a 53 percent rise last year.

Europe makes progress—except the UK
Within Europe, most countries maintained their positions. Belgium remained fifth, Germany eighth, Spain twelfth, France fourteenth, Italy fifteenth, and Ireland seventeenth. Poland returned to the top 20. Notably, almost all European countries—except the UK—increased imports of Dutch onions, with growth ranging from 8 percent to an astonishing 215 percent. France also stood out with a sharp 55.4 percent increase, which also extended to its overseas departments and territories such as Mayotte, Martinique, Réunion, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana. Interestingly, just like in mainland France, payment in these regions is made in euros. Even French Polynesia’s 68 inhabited islands, including Bora Bora, Tahiti, and Moorea, joined this growth, albeit cautiously, for the first time.

New opportunities, old losses
Demand outside Europe is also rising. Countries such as Malaysia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan increased their imports. Brazil, on the other hand, almost entirely dropped out again this year, as domestic and nearby regional harvests were sufficient.

Overall, 68 percent of Dutch onion exports went to countries outside Europe, averaging around 9,000 tons per destination. In total, the Dutch onion sector supplied more than 130 countries, including 92 non-EU countries.