Spain, Italy, and France are in need of Polish onions, as the EU’s crops were destroyed by droughts that caused a decrease in the supply from main producers in the EU, including Spain. Onion production in Ukraine has also decreased due to the war.
Demand for onions from Ukraine helped drive a 60 percent increase in Polish onion sales from July to October 2022.
The main recipients of Polish onions have traditionally been the Netherlands, which purchased 44,000 tons for €28 million this year, and Great Britain, which bought 30,000 tons for €18 million.
However, Ukraine, which placed eighth last year in terms of onions purchased from Poland, this year ranked third after purchasing 50,000 tons for €17 million. Next on the list are regular European buyers: Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, and Czechia.
A kilogram of onions costs consumers 2.28 zloty (0.50 euro cents) in Poland, the highest price since 2004 and more than three times what they cost in 2021. This might have affected the inflation seen in vegetable prices in Poland, as 12 percent of all vegetables consumed by Poles are onions.
Poland experienced a surprisingly good onion harvest, whereas the drought hurt other vegetable crops. Statistics Poland (GUS) estimated that harvests of heat-loving vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions also turned out better than expected.
