Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement leads to tariff cuts for Australian onions

Europe’s current high onion prices are driven by the heatwave and drought in last summer’s growing season. Tariff cuts under the A-UKFTA, which came into effect on 31 May 2023, are enabling Australia’s good growing year to fill the shortfall.

‘The A-UKFTA dropped the tariffs on Australian onions from 8% to zero,’ says Ezz Farghaly, SAI World’s Operations & Sales Coordinator. ‘Now Australian produce can be competitive in the UK and European markets.

Farghaly expects more orders for Tasmanian “long day” onions. ‘These onions have a great shelf life and can be stored for up to one year,’ he explains. ‘Tasmanian onions are remarkable. They keep their quality and flavour. The feedback we have had from our distributors in Rotterdam and Hamburg, where we have been shipping the onions for some time, has been excellent.’

Perfecta Produce, as part of SAI World, is Tasmania’s longest established onion producer and exporter. It grows 10,000 tons of onions a year. Since starting in 1984, it has built a reputation for customer satisfaction based on a history of quality products, quick response and timely service.

Source: austrade.gov.au

Publication date: Mon 3 Jul 2023