Onion shortage expected for remainder of the year

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Currently, the South African national supply of onions to the fresh produce market is much lower than normal as a result of unforeseen weather-related issues, and the year has been unpredictable in terms of weather, ranging from heat and drought to severe rainfall and flooding. “It’s been an odd year in terms of weather, and we’ve seen its effect on the growth season across the country,” says Willie Ras of Grow Botha Roodt market agency. “It’s had an effect on many vegetable crops this season.”

Limpopo region, which starts supplying between March and April, had excessive rain on the crops, which caused quality issues as well as low yields, which rendered the supply to the collective fresh produce markets much lower than usual. “The devastating effects of the weather have been visible on all fresh produce crops supplied to the national markets.”

© GROWBothaRoodt

Limpopo, usually one of the first regions to supply the market, was hit hardest by unusually high rainfall. Fields were waterlogged, and in many cases onion seed either failed to germinate or drowned outright. Farmers were left with a difficult call: replant and risk losing that input cost too, or accept a shorter, lighter crop. Limpopo growers ended up finishing their season some six weeks earlier than usual.

The Bushveld region, next in the rotation, faced the same wet conditions and the same losses.

Where rain hurt the northern regions, drought did the damage further south. Western Cape farmers plant their onions from September, and the hot, dry conditions in late 2025 took a heavy toll on both the size and quality of the crop harvested in early 2026.

Different causes, same result: bulbs across multiple regions struggled to mature properly. “Onions took longer to mature. In some areas, onions had to stay in the ground for up to six months as bulb formation took longer, and in some cases it didn’t happen at all, leaving farmers with a crop with a shallot-sized bulb for which there is very little offtake,” Ras says.

It’s been a hard season for onion producers, he notes, and while current prices might suggest farmers are cashing in, the reality is that no price increase fully offsets a smaller harvest.

For more information:
Willie Ras
Grow Botha Roodt
Email: [email protected]
www.growfreshproduce.co.za

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Source: The Plantations International Agroforestry Group of Companies