Between 25 and 30% of the Spanish production is devoted to export, but imports are rising every year. Accordingly, Alfonso Tarazona, Chairman of the Asociación de Cosecheros Exportadores de Cebolla (Association of Onion Harvest Exporters – ACEC), explained at the 3rd International Onion Meeting, held in Albacete that “we are not importing for pleasure, but rather due to necessity because we have to import onions to be able to offer quality produce on the supermarket shelves all year long.”
Peru is the best supplier for Spanish companies, due to its sweet onion productions. These purchases take place six months of the year, given that the boom in sweet onions seems to be unstoppable. Another of the important Spanish suppliers is New Zealand with its new onions, at a time in which, in Spain, stored onions are not showing their best quality. Spanish purchases in 2023 will reach around 120,000 tonnes. “It is a necessity, but imported onions must meet the same requirements we have to comply with on the subject of plant protection or the use of glyphosate.”
The foreign markets for Spanish onions have historically been Germany and the United Kingdom, taking up 57% of the foreign sales. However, over the last few campaigns, a drop in sales has been observed, which has been completed by new destinations to countries in the Middle and Far East, Canada, the United States or Brazil.
Problems to move forward
In Spain, the onion crop area has dropped back to the same levels as a decade ago, according to Alfonso Tarazona. The main reasons for this decline lie in the drought, along with the socio-economic and labour situation that the sector is facing and that have made the activity extremely difficult. “Many farmers with 6 or 7 hectares have abandoned the crop and others have reduced their surface area in order to reduce risks.”
The chairman of the ACEC pointed at the latest labour reforms, but also at the many Spanish and European laws, which make production more difficult every day. “We are experiencing a disruption in the production.”
Dropping consumption
As has occurred overall with fruit and vegetables, onion consumption has dropped from 7 kilos per capita to 6 kilos in Spain.
“Fresh produce has not seen any opportunities in recent years, compared to processed products, which are booming, and this must be taken into consideration because in order to consume processed onions, they also need to be grown.”
