The market position of Hungarian onions can be improved by the cooperation of producers

Domestic farmers involved in onion production are counting on a good season this year, as a high-quality Hungarian harvest is expected this year – this was revealed at a professional day organized by the National Chamber of Agriculture, the Hungarian Vegetable and Fruit Interprofessional Organization (FruitVeB), and producer Imre Bondár, VITALITA SEEDS Kft., Orosco Kft., Rit-Sat Kft., BASF-Nunhems Hungary Kft., and Syngenta Magyarország Kft. The participants of the professional day to be held in Muron were able to get acquainted with the mid-early and late varieties, in addition to an overview of the market situation and current challenges.

Onions are one of our most important field vegetables, the growing area has gradually expanded in recent years, and the growth has continued this year as well. The positive trend is partly due to the incentive of high spring prices. However, this year, sales problems may be caused by the fact that excellent crops are also expected in other onion-growing regions of Europe. All this will presumably cause oversupply, which can lead to dumping prices.

Domestic producers can avoid the formation of dumping prices by increasing storage capacity. With adequate quality storage, they are not forced to sell immediately, so they can sell the crop at a much higher price during the rest of the year. However, the advantages of longer-term storage can only be exploited in the case of healthy onions produced using the appropriate variety selection and modern technology. When choosing varieties, it is always advisable to choose varieties that are best adapted to the growing area, tolerate changed climatic factors, and provide high yields and a uniform commodity base.