Govt targets 27% increase in kharif onion area, timely rains a boost

Amid rising prices of key vegetables — onion, potato and tomato —, the government on Friday claimed onion rates are moderating as the supply of the rabi-grown crop in the market has increased.

Pan-India average retail price of tomato was ₹58.25/kg, that of potato was ₹35.34/kg and onion ₹43.01/kg on July 5, official data show. The prices of tomato, potato and onion were ₹35.85/kg, ₹30.38/kg and ₹32.75/kg, respectively a month ago.

“Good and timely monsoon rains this year have provided a big boost for kharif crops, including onion and other horticultural crops like tomato and potato,” the Consumer Affairs Ministry said in a statement. Citing an internal assessment by the Agriculture Ministry, it said the area targeted for kharif sowing of major vegetables such as onion, tomato and potato have seen a significant increase over last year.

Comfortable supply

The targeted area under kharif onion this year is 3.61 lakh hectares (lh) which is 27 per cent higher than last year and there is good progress of current sowing operation of the crop in all the major producing States. In Karnataka, the top kharif onion producer, sowing has been completed in 30 per cent of its targeted area of 1.50 lh, it said.

Even as onion prices have climbed up, the availability of the edible bulb in domestic market is comfortable despite marginally lower production in rabi-2024 season from the year-ago period, it said. “The onion currently available in the market is of the rabi 2024 crop. The estimated production of 191 lakh tonnes (lt) is sufficient to meet the domestic consumption of about 17 lt per month,” it said, adding there is also a cap on export at a maximum 1 lt per month. Further, the dry weather condition prevailing during and after rabi harvest this year is observed to have helped in lowering storage loss of onion, it said.

Onion is harvested in three seasons — rabi in March-May, kharif in September-November and late kharif in January-February. While the rabi crop accounts for about 70 per cent of the total production, kharif and late kharif together constitute remaining 30 per cent of the country’s annual production.

Potatoes arrival to rise

On potato, essentially a rabi crop, the government said some quantities are produced in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu during the kharif season which will be harvested during September-November. Once the harvested crop arrives, the availability of potatoes in the market will rise, officials said.

The area under kharif potato this year is targeted to increase by 12 per cent over last year. As much as 273.2 lt of rabi potato was stored in cold storage this year which is sufficient to meet the consumption demand.

On tomato, the Consumer Affairs Ministry said the targeted kharif tomato area this year is 2.72 lh against 2.67 lh sown last year. “Crop conditions are reported to be good in major producing areas of Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh and Kolar in Karnataka. Picking of tomatoes have started in Kolar and will hit the market in next few days,” it said. The Centre also expects kharif tomato areas to increase substantially over last year in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.