The 2018/2019 season is already in the memory when it comes to onion prices in Europe.

Prices of onions in the Polish large wholesale are currently 0,30 - 0,37 EUR/kg for onions calibrated and packed in bags. Prices for loose onions reach 0,28 EUR/kg. It was not so expensive at this time of the year long ago. Certainly not in the last nine years as our historic data shows.

It is already record-breakingly expensive, and what's more, it's likely to be even more expensive. For the period from the end of September to now, prices in the large wholesale have risen by more than 70 percent. Admittedly, the recent upward trend has slowed down - high prices have resulted in significantly more sales offers appearing on the market. In addition, we have started to sell onions from Kazakhstan, imported via Ukraine, as well as offers from Belarus and Lithuania.

However, the vast majority of market participants are convinced that by the end of the year prices will increase again. The reason for this is a big drop in onion production this year and all over Europe. Prices in the Netherlands are almost crazy and already reach the level of 0.40 euro/kg for a producer for loose onions.

Exports from the East are unlikely to fill the supply gap in the EU market. Tajik or Uzbek producers do not hurry to sell their onion to the EU. The road is long, the requirements are high. And the more familiar Russian market is much closer. Admittedly, prices in Russia are much lower than in Poland, for example, but transport costs are also significantly lower.

An upward trend is therefore very likely. Even if high prices on the fresh market will weaken demand, high processing needs will still guarantee an increase in prices. The question is whether in a large wholesale market the average price will exceed the level of 0,42 EUR/kg before the end of the calendar year?