A well-supplied market prompts Brazil to suspend onion imports.

Brazil eliminated onion imports in October due to high domestic production, a situation not seen for the same month since 2007. The halt in international purchases is explained by the high supply coming from the Cerrado region, where the harvest extends until the beginning of November. This scenario of a well-supplied domestic market occurs amidst the progress of the onion harvest in Santa Catarina. This data comes from the November Agricultural Bulletin, a monthly publication produced by the Center for Socioeconomics and Agricultural Planning of Epagri (Cepa).

The average price paid to producers has remained unchanged since June 2025, when a 20-kilo bag was quoted at R$30,29, in nominal terms. At the wholesale level, prices remained stable compared to September, with a slight increase of 9,49%, reaching R$41,06.

The expectation is that production from the South of the country will begin to supply the national market in the coming weeks. In Santa Catarina, storage conditions favor farmers holding back part of the harvest to take advantage of more competitive prices during periods of lower supply in 2026.

Lillian Bastian, a Socioeconomic and Rural Development analyst at Epagri/Cepa, explains that the harvest of early-maturing onions has already begun in some municipalities, but that a large part of this initial volume is being directed to storage. "The producers' strategy is to wait for a more favorable price scenario, something considered likely given the expected decline in national supply in the coming weeks," she emphasizes.

The projection is that the price will increase gradually, with the possibility of more attractive prices throughout the first quarter of 2026, a period in which the market historically registers lower product availability.

New harvest

Estimates for onion production in Santa Catarina point to a growth of 7,30%, 40 tons more than in the previous harvest. This increase is not related to the growth in planted area, which rose only 1,41%, but to the productivity gains expected in regions such as Ituporanga, Rio do Sul, and Canoinhas, with projected increases of 10,04%, 11,03%, and 8,09%, respectively. The crops are, for the most part, in good condition and in the fruiting stage.

Lillian adds that the outlook for the Santa Catarina harvest is quite positive, both in terms of volume and quality. "The Ituporanga region, which is the state's main onion-producing hub, has crops in excellent condition, the result of a cycle favored by the climate and proper management," she emphasizes.