New Zealand's onion sector on its way to accessing the Chinese market

The New Zealand onion sector is celebrating an important step towards entering the Chinese market. Currently, 90% of New Zealand's onion crop is exported, contributing $182 million to the national economy from exports of 151,000 tonnes, mainly to European countries and Indonesia during the 2022/2023 season. However, the lucrative Chinese market remains untouched for New Zealand exporters, although this now appears to be changing. A delegation from New Zealand recently returned from Shanghai after signing a memorandum of understanding with a Chinese import-export association to facilitate bilateral onion trade. James Kuperus, the CEO of trade association Onions New Zealand, was optimistic about the development, saying it offers New Zealand growers an additional export market. “The potential is significant. Our forecasts indicate that within five to ten years we will be able to export onions worth $50-60 million to China once we have market access. We are excited about the future, ...