The South African onion market is under great pressure due to oversupply

South African onion growers are experiencing a difficult season. Like other crops, onions in January and February were hit hard by heavy rains in Limpopo province, a region that accounts for about 84% of South African onions. The remaining 12% come from the British region (Northwest) and 3% come from Free State. Onion growers in Limpopo had planted more hectares of onions because of the good availability of water due to the rainfall. The other side of the coin was that the risk of diseases and pests increased due to the wet conditions in January and February, resulting in quality problems. A field of onions north of Plokwane (Limpopo province) equipped with an irrigation system Some of the affected onions were put on the market. The large numbers of onions of inferior quality have a negative effect on the price, which currently fluctuates around € 0.16 per kilo. On the market in Johannesburg, bags of 10 kilos of onions were sold for an average of €1.50 this week. The price was ...