Difficulties for the onion sector

Producers, traders and exporters of the onion met themselves during a FEPEX committee and are worried by the situation of the sector in Spain.

The Committee consists of producers associations, exporters and traders as CEBACAT ( Catalonia), ACEP ( Aragon) PROCECAM ( Castilla-La Mancha) and the AFIC, national association.

The low production prices and the constant increase of the costs led the sector in a very difficult situation, which threatens even the harvest of onions in Spain.

In 2009, the imports of onions increased from the Holland and from France. The expeditions of Holland increased by 34 %, amounting to 857 342 tons and those of France increased by 126 %, amounting to 107 449 tons, whereas the Spanish exports decreased in 8 %, amounting to 239 690 tons.

To cope with this situation, the members of the FEPEX Committee insisted on the necessity of reaching a bigger organization of the sector by the creation of producers' organizations ( OP) which would allow a planning of campaigns.