Onion sowing picks up in Maharashtra owing to good rainfall

Maharashtra is country's largest grower and a key determinant of onion wholesale and retail prices

In the week ended August 21, onion sowing in Maharashtra picked up substantially, owing to good rains. The state, the largest producer of onions in the country, is one of the primary determinants of wholesale and retail prices of the crop.

According to official data, sowing area in the week ended August 14 stood at 1,717 hectares, which rose to 12,258 hectares in the week ended on August 21, a rise of about 613 per cent. Compared to the corresponding period last year, sowing was down about 30 for the week ended August 14; for the following week, the differential fell to 19 per cent.

A source said it was hoped the state would record a good crop by the end of the kharif season. Besides, the Centre had asked the ‘early-kharif’ producing states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to increase onion acreage to boost overall production, officials said.

To increase production of vegetables, including onion, the state receives support from the Centre for seed production and cultivation in open fields under the integrated nutrient management integrated pest management schemes, as well as aid in organic farming. To prevent post-harvest losses, assistance is also provided for low-cost onion storage structures. Besides, there are schemes for setting up markets at different levels—wholesale, retail, etc, as well as vending carts.

The Centre also has a scheme for vegetables in urban clusters under the aegis of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. The integrated scheme for agriculture marketing provides for setting up post-harvest infrastructure, including storage.

Officials said state governments have been asked to exempt fruit and vegetables from the purview of the Agriculture Produce Market Committee Act to enable direct sale of these commodities by farmers.