The Netherlands, India and China Remain Largest Exporters of Onion and Shallots Worldwide

IndexBox has just published a new report: 'World - Onion And Shallots - Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights'. Here is a summary of the report's key findings.

The Netherlands, India and China lead in the global export of onion and shallots, leaving other countries far behind. Senegal, the UK, Cote d’Ivoire remain the key destinations for exports from the Netherlands. Most onions and shallots from India are sent to Bangladesh, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, and more than half of Chinese exports go to Viet Nam and Japan. The Netherlands dominates Senegal's imports with a 93% share of the total volume. India supplies 83% of onion and shallots imports to Bangladesh, while China absolutely buoys Japanese onion imports. 

Global Exports of Onion and Shallots

In 2020, the volume of onions and shallots exported worldwide dropped slightly to 8.5M. In value terms, onion and shallot exports dropped to $3.8B in 2020.

In 2020, the Netherlands (1.8M tonnes) and India (1.4M tonnes) were the largest exporters of onions and shallots across the globe, together finishing at approx. 38% of total exports. China (881K tonnes) ranks next in terms of total exports with a 10% share, followed by Mexico (4.9%). The U.S. (366K tonnes), Spain (356K tonnes), Egypt (354K tonnes), Pakistan (304K tonnes), New Zealand (214K tonnes), Afghanistan (212K tonnes), Uzbekistan (211K tonnes), Peru (192K tonnes) and Argentina (164K tonnes) occupied a minor share of total exports. 

In value terms, the Netherlands ($828M), China ($495M) and Mexico ($408M) appeared to be the countries with the highest levels of exports in 2020, with a combined 45% share of global exports. India, the U.S., Egypt, Spain, Pakistan, Peru, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Argentina lagged somewhat behind, together comprising a further 36%.

Exports of Onion and Shallots from the Netherlands

Senegal (207K tonnes), the UK (168K tonnes) and Cote d'Ivoire (130K tonnes) were the main destinations of onion and shallot exports from the Netherlands, with a combined 28% share of total exports. These countries were followed by Germany, Belgium, Poland, Malaysia, Guinea, Mauritania, the Philippines, France, Mali and Ireland, which together accounted for a further 38%. The Netherlands supplies 93% of the total volume of products imported to Senegal. 

In value terms, the largest markets for onion and shallot exported from the Netherlands were the UK ($88M), Germany ($87M) and Belgium ($76M), with a combined 30% share of total exports. Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Malaysia, Poland, France, Guinea, the Philippines, Mauritania, Ireland and Mali lagged somewhat behind, together comprising a further 34% (IndexBox estimates).

Exports of Onion and Shallots from India

Bangladesh (494K tonnes) was the main destination for onion and shallot exports from India, with a 34% share of total exports. Moreover, onion and shallot exports to Bangladesh exceeded the volume sent to the second major destination, Malaysia (186K tonnes), threefold. The United Arab Emirates (162K tonnes) ranked third in terms of total exports with an 11% share. India supplies 83% of the total volume of products imported to Bangladesh.

In value terms, the largest markets for onion and shallot exported from India were Bangladesh ($93M), Malaysia ($58M) and Sri Lanka ($42M), with a combined 56% share of total exports. These countries were followed by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Indonesia, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait, which together accounted for a further 33%.

Exports of Onion and Shallots from China

Viet Nam (243K tonnes), Japan (224K tonnes) and Malaysia (80K tonnes) were the main destinations of onion and shallot exports from China, with a combined 62% share of total exports. China supplies 95% of the total volume of products imported to Japan.

In value terms, Viet Nam ($240M) emerged as the key foreign market for onion and shallot exports from China, comprising 49% of total exports. The second position in the ranking was occupied by Japan ($104M), with a 21% share of total exports. It was followed by Malaysia, with a 5.5% share. 

Source: IndexBox Platform