Foodgrain target set at 307 million tonnes for 2021-22; more onions in northern states

The Centre on Friday set a target of 307 million tonnes for production of food grains for 2021-22 and rolled out plans to promote growing of kharif onions in north Indian states to overcome shortages towards the end of the year.

At the launch of the Kharif Campaign here, Agriculture Commissioner S K Malhotra said the target for food grain production during the kharif (summer) season is set at 151.43 million tonnes of which paddy is expected to be 104.3 million tonnes. Last year, rice production was estimated to be at 103.75 million tonne against the target of 102.60 million tonne.

With the country facing shortage of onions during October-November-December, the Centre has asked states such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh to increase the acreage of onions to reduce the dependence on Karnataka, which grows nearly 50 per cent of the kharif onion crop.

Besides Karnataka, kharif onions are produced in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh which together account for 20 per cent of the country’s production for the summer season.

“Availability gets affected when these traditional areas are hit by natural calamities,” Malhotra said.

Last year, the prices of onions had shot up in October-November as unseasonal rains in Maharashtra and Karnataka destroyed the onion crop, forcing the government to resort to imports to cool down the prices.

According to the ministry, kharif onions are grown on 37,028 hectares across five northern states – Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The Centre now plans to increase this to 51,000 hectares this year, a move that is expected to help meet local demand and maintain prices during the lean season.

Farmers grow two onion crops during the summer season with the early kharif crop harvested in October and the late kharif in December. The kharif onions have less shelf life, while those grown in winters could be stored for longer duration.