Opinion
In W17 in the onion landscape, in the Egyptian wholesale transit markets, the price of onions ranged from USD 0.26/kg (EGP 8/kg) to USD 0.36/kg (EGP 11/kg). The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics of Egypt reported onion exports amounted to USD 23.35M during January 2023. Turkey may enter a crisis this summer with onions due to supply shortages coupled with increasing production costs which have resulted in a significant price increase in the domestic market from USD 0.30/kg in April 2022 to USD 1.4/kg in W16. In Iran, the price of onion stood at USD 0.43/kg (IRR 18K/kg) in the market. The price of Argentine onions dropped at the border of Porto Xavier (RS) due to difficulties in entering the Brazilian market, which already has a large volume of onions available from the Northeast and Santa Catarina. Onions from Argentina are priced at USD 8.72/sc (BRL 43.17/sc) for 20 kg. The marketing of onions in Ituporanga (SC), Brazil, remained slow due to good inventory levels, increased national volume with the presence of onions imported from Argentina, and the intensification of harvest in Bahia. The average price for onions stood at USD 0.34/kg (BRL 1.68/kg). On the other hand, the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Kazakhstan announced plans to purchase early onions from Tajikistan to ensure the domestic market and stabilize onion prices. Specialists from the Federation of Agricultural Producers of Moldova (FARM) reported that growers suffered losses due to prolonged rainfalls in April, with some onion crop damage, and fields will have to be reseeded after cultivation. Onion prices dropped from USD 0.49/kg (PEN 1.83/kg) to USD 0.47/kg (PEN 1.75/kg) in the Peruvian market. Air pollution was reported in Tajikistan due to a dust storm. According to agricultural experts, dust and dirt particles clog the pores of plants and interfere with the normal absorption of the sun and air. Farmers reported a negative impact of dust on onion crops. Lastly, the price of onions in the Ukrainian market stood at USD 1.03-1.22/kg (UAH 38-45/kg), an increase of 10% WoW.