The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has announced that the area under kharif sowing for onion is expected to be 27 per cent higher than last year. According to a press release by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, this increase comes amidst a favourable monsoon season and timely rains that have boosted the prospects for several kharif crops, including onions, tomatoes, and potatoes.
The Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with State Governments, has projected a substantial rise in the sowing area for kharif onions, targeting 3.61 lakh hectares this year. This is a marked increase from the previous year's sowing area. In Karnataka, the leading kharif onion-producing state, 30 per cent of the targeted area of 1.50 lakh hectares has already been sown, with sowing progressing well in other major producing states, read the press release.
Currently, the domestic market is being supplied with rabi-2024 onions, which were harvested from March to May this year. The estimated production for rabi-2024 stands at 191 lakh tonnes, which is sufficient to meet the domestic consumption requirement of approximately 17 lakh tonnes per month.
Despite marginally lower production in rabi-2024 compared to last year, the supply is stable due to controlled exports and favourable weather conditions that have minimized storage losses. The stable supply has resulted in the moderation of onion prices, as more rabi onions are being released into the market, coupled with the onset of monsoon rains which has led to higher mandi prices.
Onions are typically harvested in three seasons: rabi (March-May), kharif (September-November), and late kharif (January-February). The rabi season accounts for about 70 per cent of the total onion production, while kharif and late kharif together contribute 30 per cent. The kharif onion crop is crucial for maintaining price stability during the months when there is a gap between the rabi and peak kharif harvests, read the press release.
Potato, predominantly a rabi crop, also sees some production during the kharif season in states like Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. The Ministry has reported that the area under kharif potato cultivation is set to increase by 12 per cent compared to last year.
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have already achieved nearly 100 per cent of their targeted sowing areas, with good progress being made in Karnataka and other states. The rabi potato harvest, stored in cold storage across the country, ensures a steady supply throughout the year. This year, 273.2 lakh tonnes of rabi potatoes have been stored, which is sufficient to meet the domestic consumption demand.
The prices of potatoes in the market are regulated by the rate at which these stored potatoes are released from cold storage, ensuring a balanced supply during the storage period from March to December, read the press release. The kharif tomato sowing area has also seen a positive trend, with an increase from 2.67 lakh hectares last year to a targeted 2.72 lakh hectares this year.
The crop conditions are reported to be excellent in major tomato-producing areas such as Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh and Kolar in Karnataka. In Kolar, the harvesting of tomatoes has already commenced, and the produce is expected to hit the market in a few days. Feedback from district horticultural officials in Chittoor and Kolar indicates that the tomato crop this year is significantly better than last year.
The increase in kharif tomato area is notable across major producing states, including Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. (ANI)
