The UK onion crop is being relied on more than ever, while southern hemisphere suppliers suffer from decreased demand from Britain.
According to UK supplier The Allium Alliance, this year stored UK onions have been utilised like never before, with UK consumers focusing on home-grown produce and suppliers put off by prices accelerated by exchange rates worldwide. As a result, the traditional window for New Zealand and Chilean onions that follows the UK and Dutch seasons has shortened.
Malcolm Gray, director of The Allium Alliance, told FPJ: “This year’s UK onion crop was more than sufficient and the quality was good, but we are having to adjust to the credit crunch.
“The strong euro has meant fewer imports coming into the country, but from a British point of view, it has meant that we could market all of our stored UK onions and it helped us move our stock.
“But because we are a global company, we have to have a broader outlook and now we are moving from the UK crop to New Zealand produce, there is a lack of demand.”
Co-operative New Zealand Growers Ltd supplies The Allium Alliance with New Zealand onions from seven growers that produce from 18,000 hectares. The company has felt the pinch since UK consumers moved towards domestic supply.
Martin Tribe, general manager of the company, said: “There has been a sizable reduction in orders from the UK of about 15,000 tonnes this season, which is a reflection of how the British base is looking after itself.
“Production levels of onions from New Zealand also are down by five per cent, but yields have not been affected a great deal. This is a result of financial hardship that reached us even before the credit crunch. However, as those companies that are not quite prepared fall by the wayside, the quality of the product and efficiency of the industry are increasing. The crop has produced a good size, with sizing up by 5mm on last season and we are still targeting the UK, although our window has been shortened.”
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