Higher prices expected

The quality of onions in 2007 will not be as good as the past season after a poor harvest, warned the producers. According to the British Onion Producers' Association, UK production was down 15 per cent this year, compared with 2005. Unstable weather in July followed by a wet August is to blame for the drop. That means smaller onions and more with stained-looking skins. The price of onions being sold to supermarkets is up around 60 per cent, while those sold to food processors and wholesalers have doubled.