By ANNE BESTON
A worldwide onion glut has buyers smiling, but growers say some of them might be forced out of business.
Domestic and overseas prices for onions are about half what they were a year ago. Locally, 10kg bags are selling for as little as $2.
Onion Exporters Association spokesman Hal Young said growers were being offered as little as $3 a 20kg bag on overseas markets. They needed between $4.50 and $5 a bag to break even.
"This year is probably the worst it's been for six or seven years."
A bumper crop worldwide had forced prices down, and a glut of cheap Dutch onions was making it difficult for New Zealand growers to get into traditional export markets.
New Zealand produces about 200,000 tonnes of onions a year, of which 30,000 tonnes are eaten domestically.
Growers in pickle over onion glut
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