Delayed monsoon to hit onion crop in Karnataka
As the Union government’s ban on export of onion triggered farmers’protests in Maharashtra, National Horticulture Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF) said the delayed monsoon would not result in a drop in the overall production of the bulb crop.
However, sources in the government said that the kharif yield of onion could be 50 per cent less than last year’s output in Karnataka and 20 per cent less than in Maharashtra and Gujarat. But higher late kharif and rabi yields would make up for the loss, they added.
Minister of State (Independent Charge) for food K V Thomas said that the government would review the ban on export, once the price of onion comes down below Rs 15 per kg in the retail market.
An empowered Group of Ministers headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday banned the export of onion as the prices shot up to Rs 25-40 a kg in the retail market.
Onion growers in and around Nasik in Maharashtra on Friday boycotted the auction held by the Agriculture Produce Market Committees, demanding of the government to lift the ban on export of onion immediately to save them from huge losses.
A group of onion growers also staged a ‘jail bharo’ stir at Kalwan near Nasik.
The NHRDF, a government research institution, maintained that the delayed monsoon could result in a 15-20 per cent decline in the summer-sown onion output, but the overall production in 2011-12 would remain in line with the target of 15.13 million tonnes.
The Centre had on September 5 last raised the minimum export price of onion by a sharp $ 175 per tonne to $ 475 a tonne. Sources said the kharif yield of onion in 2011-12 is re-estimated at about 33.67 lakh tonnes, against 47.32 lakh tonnes last year.
India is the second largest onion producer after China. The bulb crops is grown in three seasons – kharif (summer), late kharif and rabi (winter).
“Sowing of the main kharif onion crop in different states is almost completed. Area is less, because of scanty rains and the kharif output could go down by 15-20 per cent. However, it would be made up in late kharif and rabi,” R C Gupta, director of Nasik-based NHRDF, said.
The NHRDF, a wing of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), monitors onion cultivation across the country. The overall production of onion in 2010-11 stood at 14.56 million tonnes. Gupta said that the delayed monsoon would boost late kharif and rabi yields of onion.
“There will not be a change in estimates and total onion output would be higher at 15.13 million tonnes this year, as late rains are expected to boost the prospects of the late kharif and rabi crop,” he added.
