Although Tasmania has not had the extreme weather seen down the east coast of mainland Australia it has still been wetter and colder than normal.

This is having an effect on the new season onions. Jim Ertler from Premium Fresh said that although harvest is still a bit away he is not expecting a record harvest.

“We are running along reasonably, but I expect yields to be reduced due to the cooler, wet weather, we haven’t had the rain that they saw on the mainland but it has been wetter than normal.”

Most of the markets around the globe are short of onions, making market conditions good going into the new year.

“We are trying to balance supply and keep our traditional customers happy, this is difficult as there is a lot of demand on the domestic market, but it is important to honour long-term commitments and look after our customers in tough years.”

The onion growing season is 75% through and the first harvest will be in January running through until April.

“It is too early to say but I have a feeling sizes may be down as well as the yield. We are also still facing high freight prices, as well as increased productions costs, so although the shortage this season may mean we make a profit it is masking a much bigger issue. We need to ensure we are receiving the true market returns regardless of the sale.”

Source - https://www.freshplaza.com