By Mark Wocial, Certified Global Business Professional, Wocial & Associates LLC
According to the U.N. international trade statistics, countries in Asia imported approximately 2.5 million metric tons (MT) of fresh onions and shallots in 2017, valued at almost $1 billion. The top 10 countries accounted for 86 percent of imports. Malaysia was by far the largest importer in the region and purchased 582,000 MT of fresh onions from other countries, valued at $173 million. India supplied 58 percent of those imports, China 20 percent and the Netherlands 14 percent.
Japan, the second largest importer, purchased 292,000 MT of fresh onions last year, valued at $135 million. China supplied almost 90 percent of Japan’s imports, followed by New Zealand (8 percent) and Australia (2 percent). Vietnam imported 254,000 MT, primarily supplied by China and India.
Sri Lanka (243,000 MT) was the fourth largest importing country in Asia, followed by Bangladesh (208,000 MT) and Indonesia (151,000 MT). India was the dominant supplier of onions to those countries. New Zealand and the Netherlands had a strong position in Indonesia, where they supplied 25 percent and 14 percent, respectively, of the country’s imports. In 2017, South Korea imported 150,000 MT of fresh onions, with China supplying over 90 percent of that volume.
Nepal (114,000 MT), Kazakhstan (79,000 MT) and Taiwan (77,000 MT) rounded out the top 10 import markets in Asia. Nepal imported almost all its fresh onions from India, while Kazakhstan imported primarily from Tajikistan and Russia.
The volume of fresh onions imported by countries in Asia grew at an average annual rate of almost 12 percent in the past three years.
Considering the size of the import market in Asia, U.S. exports to the region are very small. Taiwan is the largest market for U.S. exports of fresh onions. Last year, U.S. exports of 40,000 MT represented 52 percent of Taiwan’s imports. U.S. exporters shipped 4,000 MT to Japan, 1,300 MT to Hong Kong and 250 MT to South Korea. While Malaysia is the largest import market in the region, the U.S. exported only 3 MT to the country, while the Netherlands shipped 84,000 MT. Overall, the U.S. exported 46,000 MT to Asia, valued at $18 million. In comparison, the Netherlands exported 147,000 MT valued at $46 million.
Author’s note: This information is based on the author’s analysis of the international trade data collected by the United Nations International Trade Statistics Database and the U.S. Census Bureau Foreign Trade Division.
