The export of Polish onions to Ukraine increased 24 times

In the eleven months of 2022, there was an increase in the export volume of onion from Poland. In accordance with the Ministry of Finance preliminary data, from January to November 2022, 189 thousand tonnes of onion were exported from Poland, by 42% more than in the comparable period of 2021, mainly as a result of a significant (24-fold) increase in the export of onion to Ukraine (54 thousand tonnes, 28% of the export volume).

In addition, onion from Poland was traditionally purchased by buyers in the Netherlands (50 thousand tonnes, share of 26%) and the United Kingdom (34 thousand tonnes, 18%).

Despite the significant market supply from the good domestic harvest in 2022, the prices of onion are characterised by a strong growth rate, which has been taking place since mid-August 2022. According to the MARD Integrated Agricultural Market Information System data, the net purchase price of onion in Poland in the period from mid-August 2022 to the last week of January 2023 rose from PLN 1.37/kg to PLN 2.79 PLN/kg, i.e. more than twice. The level of the purchase prices of onion in the last week of January 2023 was nearly 3.5 times higher y/y. The reason for such a large rise in the purchase prices of onion in Poland in the last five months is the increased export demand from Ukraine, caused by the smaller harvest as a result of hostilities in the territory of this country and the limitation of the harvest in some EU countries as a result of drought.

IC UAC according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development