After two seasons of severe contraction, Dutch onion exports grew 17 per cent in the year 2024/25 according to the Holland Onion Association (HOA).
In a statement the organisation said, ‘Old markets have been reconquered, new opportunities are emerging – and red onions are making an unprecedented leap. From Malaysia to Honduras, from Finland to Tahiti: Holland Onions are once again in great demand worldwide.’
The 2024/2025 export season (weeks 27 to 26) marks a return to growth for Dutch onion exports. From 2018 onwards, exports experienced a steady increase, peaking at 1,296,000 tonnes in 2021/2022. However, that trend was interrupted by two seasons in a row of sharp contraction, even though Dutch onions attracted high prices.
‘This trading year, exports are on the rise again and the Netherlands managed to regain market share from countries such as China and Egypt: the final figure is 1,238,272 tonnes, a growth of 17 per cent compared to the previous season,’ said HOA. ‘This comeback offers the sector new confidence for the coming seasons, especially if the price is also competitive on the world market.’
The crop has also seen a resurgence in terms of production, with a good season reported for both brown and red onion crops. ‘According to the final CBS figures, the gross yield of yellow seed onions in 2024 was just under 1.3 million tonnes – the result of an area that increased by almost 13 percent. For red seed onions, the jump was even more spectacular: the yield was adjusted to more than 203,000 tonnes, an increase of no less than 30 percent compared to 2023. Red onions are in demand and are finding their way to more and more destinations in ever larger volumes.’
2015 has also seen a record area of seed onions sown: 33,200 hectares, 3.6 per cent more than last year. ‘This growth is entirely due to red onions, whose production is increasing by 35.6 per cent,” added Holland Onions. ‘Nevertheless, the centre of gravity in the Netherlands remains with the yellow onion. With a share of 81.1 percent of the acreage, this variety remains dominant, although the red onion is gaining more and more acreage.’
Great Britain was the third biggest buyer of Dutch onions in 2024/25 (after Senegal and Ivory Coast), but despite buying 114,000 tonnes, it was also the only European country where the demand for Dutch onions did not increase (falling 14 per cent on the previous year).
