Opinion
In W16 in the onion landscape, onion prices decreased in the Maharashtra market in India as distressed farmers disposed of tonnes of crops damaged by rains and hailstorms in key onion-growing regions. In Egypt, approximately 189K tons of onions were exported from January 1 to April 2023. The price of onions stood at USD 0.29-0.49/kg (EGP 9-15/kg) in Egyptian wholesale markets. The early onion harvest in Adana and Hatay is ongoing. The two provinces aim to obtain 284K tons of onion harvest in 2023, an increase from the 272K tons harvested in 2022. The expected harvest in Adana and Hatay accounts for 12% of Turkey's total onion harvest in 2023, with 2.350M tons. The recent earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş affected the harvest in Hatay and Adana, but the continued production is expected to lower onion prices in the market. The Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan has named the number of entrepreneurs who have received permission to export onions. The Ministry of Agriculture also clarified that by April 13, the entrepreneurs received permission to export 4.8K tons of onions to the markets of other states. From April 8 to 28, the Ministry of Agriculture introduced quotas for the export of onions in the amount of 20K tons from Kazakhstan to third countries and the states of the Eurasian Economic Union. The Federation of Agricultural Producers of Moldova (FARM) reported that due to the prolonged April rainfall, onion growers in the country suffered damage to their crops. The potential losses of the upcoming onion crop are causing concern, although they are not yet confirmed. On the other hand, in South Korea, the shipment of early-ripe onions has led to a decline in the price of domestic onions, while imported onions increased, causing concern among shippers. Domestic onion prices decreased to USD 0.97/kg (KRW 1,300 /kg), and Chinese imported onions stood at USD 1.41/kg (KRW 1,886/kg), 42% higher than domestic onions. Lastly, in Ukraine, farmers shipped onions at USD 1.03-1.22/kg (UAH 38-45/kg), an increase of 10% WoW. According to experts, the lack of supplies from the Kherson region, which occupied 35% of the Ukrainian onion market, led to the price increase of onions.