Short supply of red onions causes prices to spike
Pricing on Washington and Oregon onions so far this summer has depended on available supplies from other regions, leading to a variety of market levels.
On Aug. 4, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported a price of $7.50-8 for 50-pound sacks of size jumbo yellow, hybrid onions out of the Columbia Basin, Wash., and Umatilla Basin, Ore.
Year-ago prices were $7-9, with yellow colossals running at $9-10.
Bryon Magnaghi, head of Seattle-based onion distributor F.C. Bloxom Co.’s office in Walla Walla, Wash., said pricing was decent in late July.
Red rollercoaster
“The red onion market has been exceptional for this time period,” he said.
“There’s not a lot of supply out of California currently, so prices jumped quickly from the end of the storage crop season in May.”
Magnaghi said at the end of the storage crop season, F.C. Bloxom sold 25-pound boxes of jumbos for $3.50 — while at the end of July they were $10-12.
“This isn’t typical,” he said.
“The California onion supply is down due to heat. The price continues to depend on the national supply of onions from California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and New York once those production seasons begin. In general, the market should hold well.”
USDA reported prices for 25-pound sacks of jumbo reds from Washington and Oregon had dropped to $9-10 by Aug. 4, with prices for reds from California $9-11 and from New Mexico $10-12.
