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Onions have rarely made importers cry so much! Due to bad weather, harvests in Europe and West Africa are not good, and prices have soared, especially in Senegal.
The 25 kg bag of Dutch onions has rarely cost so much. Sold at a maximum of 8 euros last year, it is now worth 14. To this must be added the costs of transport, customs, and the margin of the importer. On arrival, on the Senegalese market, the bag is sold at retail for 22 euros, or about 15,000 CFA francs, a price that is difficult for households to bear.
The problem is that in the country of chicken yassa, it is difficult to do without onions. Senegal is therefore bearing the brunt of the lack of bulbs on the national and international market, because the crisis is well shared between the continents.
Low international stocks
Locally, the harvest in West Africa suffered, due to the weather, but also to the cost of seeds. As a result, for lack of sufficient harvested volumes, the marketing campaign in Senegal ended on August 11, a month ahead of schedule. The country had to start importing earlier. First from Morocco for convenience, but at very high prices because of the drought there too.
Moroccan prices now rival those of European suppliers, which have also soared. The lack of rain has indeed led to a general drop in production, whether in Poland, Spain or Holland. Everywhere, the onion is rare.
Internationally, stocks are generally low. One more factor to explain the rise in prices.
Strong demand despite prices
Exporters are obviously rubbing their hands. ” As soon as the harvest was available, we received requests from the craziest destinations “explains one of them based in Holland. For the moment, prices have not caused demand to fall contrary to his fears.
Senegalese importers have had to adapt to new trading conditions. In recent years, when the onion was abundant, for example, they did not need to send a deposit to receive their order at the port as the suppliers were trying to sell their harvest. ” It was the importer who set the rules “, explains Babacar Sembene, Commissioner for Economic Investigations at the Senegalese Ministry of Commerce, “ today it’s quite the opposite. “, he notes.
This soaring price falls at its worst in Senegal, Mali or Gambia, at a time when the great religious festivals are being prepared, such as the Grand Magal de Touba or the Maouloud. Periods of reunion and higher consumption.