New Delhi: The government on Friday said availability of onion in the domestic market is comfortable and retail prices are stabilizing.
In a statement, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said onion sowing is estimated to increase by 27 per cent in the kharif (summer sown) season.
"This year's good and timely monsoon rains have provided a big boost to kharif crops, including onion and other horticultural crops like tomato and potato," the ministry said.
According to the assessment of the Ministry of Agriculture, the area under kharif sowing of major vegetables, namely onion, tomato and potato, has seen a significant increase compared to last year.
"Availability of onion in the domestic market is comfortable even though onion production in the rabi-2024 season is slightly lower compared to last year's production," the statement said.
Onion is harvested in three seasons: rabi (sown in winter) in March-May; kharif (summer sown) in September-November and late kharif in January-February.
In terms of production, rabi cultivation accounted for about 70 percent of the total production, while kharif and late kharif together constitute 30 percent.
Kharif onion plays an important role in maintaining price stability during the lean months between rabi arrivals and peak kharif arrivals.
"The target area of kharif onion cultivation this year is 3.61 lakh hectares, up 27 per cent from last year," the ministry said.
In Karnataka, the major kharif onion producing state, sowing has been completed in 30 per cent of the target area of 1.50 lakh hectares, and sowing is also progressing in other major producing states.
The onion currently available in the market is the rabi-2024 crop, which was harvested during March-May 2024.
The government claimed that the estimated rabi-2024 production of 191 lakh tonnes is enough to meet domestic consumption of around 17 lakh tonnes per month. Exports are pegged at 1 lakh tonnes per month.
It is noted that the dry weather conditions that prevailed during and after rabi harvest this year have helped reduce onion losses during storage, the statement said.
"Onion prices are stabilizing as the quantity of rabi onion released to the market by farmers increases with rising mandi prices and arrival of monsoon rains, increasing chances of storage loss due to to high atmospheric humidity," the ministry said.
As for potato, the government said it is essentially a rabi (winter-sown) crop, but some quantities of kharif potato are produced in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Harvesting of Kharif potatoes between September and November increases availability in the market.
The area under Kharif potato this year is expected to increase by 12 percent over last year.
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have covered almost the entire planned sowing area, while sowing is underway in Karnataka and other states.
According to government data, 273.2 lakh tonnes of rabi potatoes were stored in cold storage this year, which is enough to meet consumer demand.
"Potato prices regulate the rate at which it leaves cold storage rooms during the storage period from March to December," the statement reads.
As for tomatoes, the government said based on the Agriculture Ministry's assessment, the targeted kharif tomato area this year is 2.72 lakh hectares, as against 2.67 lakh hectares sown last year.
"Crop conditions are said to be good in the main growing areas of Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh and Kolar in Karnataka. In Kolar, tomato harvesting has started and will reach the market within a few days," it reads. in the statement.
According to feedback from horticulture officials of Chittoor and Kolar district, this year's tomato crop is substantially better than last year's.
Kharif tomato acreages are expected to increase substantially over last year in the major producing states of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
In a statement, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said onion sowing is estimated to increase by 27 per cent in the kharif (summer sown) season.
"This year's good and timely monsoon rains have provided a big boost to kharif crops, including onion and other horticultural crops like tomato and potato," the ministry said.
According to the assessment of the Ministry of Agriculture, the area under kharif sowing of major vegetables, namely onion, tomato and potato, has seen a significant increase compared to last year.
"Availability of onion in the domestic market is comfortable even though onion production in the rabi-2024 season is slightly lower compared to last year's production," the statement said.
Onion is harvested in three seasons: rabi (sown in winter) in March-May; kharif (summer sown) in September-November and late kharif in January-February.
In terms of production, rabi cultivation accounted for about 70 percent of the total production, while kharif and late kharif together constitute 30 percent.
Kharif onion plays an important role in maintaining price stability during the lean months between rabi arrivals and peak kharif arrivals.
"The target area of kharif onion cultivation this year is 3.61 lakh hectares, up 27 per cent from last year," the ministry said.
In Karnataka, the major kharif onion producing state, sowing has been completed in 30 per cent of the target area of 1.50 lakh hectares, and sowing is also progressing in other major producing states.
The onion currently available in the market is the rabi-2024 crop, which was harvested during March-May 2024.
The government claimed that the estimated rabi-2024 production of 191 lakh tonnes is enough to meet domestic consumption of around 17 lakh tonnes per month. Exports are pegged at 1 lakh tonnes per month.
It is noted that the dry weather conditions that prevailed during and after rabi harvest this year have helped reduce onion losses during storage, the statement said.
"Onion prices are stabilizing as the quantity of rabi onion released to the market by farmers increases with rising mandi prices and arrival of monsoon rains, increasing chances of storage loss due to to high atmospheric humidity," the ministry said.
As for potato, the government said it is essentially a rabi (winter-sown) crop, but some quantities of kharif potato are produced in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Harvesting of Kharif potatoes between September and November increases availability in the market.
The area under Kharif potato this year is expected to increase by 12 percent over last year.
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have covered almost the entire planned sowing area, while sowing is underway in Karnataka and other states.
According to government data, 273.2 lakh tonnes of rabi potatoes were stored in cold storage this year, which is enough to meet consumer demand.
"Potato prices regulate the rate at which it leaves cold storage rooms during the storage period from March to December," the statement reads.
As for tomatoes, the government said based on the Agriculture Ministry's assessment, the targeted kharif tomato area this year is 2.72 lakh hectares, as against 2.67 lakh hectares sown last year.
"Crop conditions are said to be good in the main growing areas of Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh and Kolar in Karnataka. In Kolar, tomato harvesting has started and will reach the market within a few days," it reads. in the statement.
According to feedback from horticulture officials of Chittoor and Kolar district, this year's tomato crop is substantially better than last year's.
Kharif tomato acreages are expected to increase substantially over last year in the major producing states of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
