India is the second-largest onion-growing country in the world. The Indian onions are famous for their pungency and are available round the year.
Indian onions have two crop cycles, first harvesting starts from November to January and the second harvesting from January to May.
Varieties:
The major varieties found in India are Agrifound Dark Red, Agrifound Light Red, NHRDF Red, Agrifound White, Agrifound Rose and Agrifound Red, Pusa Ratnar, Pusa Red, and Pusa White Round. There are certain varieties of yellow onion which are suitable for export in European countries Tana F1, Arad-H, Suprex, Granex 55, HA 60 and Granex 429.
Areas of Cultivation :
The Major Onion producing states are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Telangana. Maharashtra ranks first in Onion production with a share of 42.53% followed by Madhya Pradesh with a share of 15.16% in 2021-22 (3rd Advance Estimate).
India Facts and Figures :
There is a lot of demand for Indian Onion in the world. The country has exported 2,525,258.35 MT of fresh onion to the world, worth Rs. 4,522.79 crores/ 561.38 USD Millions during the year 2022-23.
Modern pack houses for sorting, grading and packing the quality onions are available at production zones. Guidelines have been framed to determine the compliance with maximum residue levels (MRLs) for the identified pesticides. The grade designation and quality development parameters have also been set up for identifying quality onions.
Major Export Destinations (2022-23) :
Bangladesh, Malaysia, United Arab Emts, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Indonesia.