'30-40 lakh tonnes of onion get wasted due to lack of storage'

About 30-40 lakh tonnes of onions get wasted every year due to inadequate storage facilities in the country, a senior Commerce Ministry official today said while pitching for private investments in such units.
At present, the country is facing a shortage of five lakh tonnes of onion, which has resulted in a sharp rise in retail prices that have gone up to Rs 80 per kg across the country. The Centre has resorted to imports and has taken several steps to boost supply and control prices.
"Approximately, 30-40 lakh tonnes of onion production are wasted almost each year due to non-availability of proper storage facilities," Joint Secretary in the Commerce Ministry Santosh Sarangi said at an event organised by PHD chambers.

Pitching strongly for creation of storage facilities for agriculture and horticultural products across the country, Sarangi sought both private and public investment for such facilities "without any delay".
The estimated onion availability to end-consumers is about 150-160 lakh tonnes while the total production is about 190 lakh tonnes, he said in a statement.
Cold storage facilities are required to cater to domestic as well as exports requirements of agri products with full compliance with standards, he added.

On farm exports, Sarangi said that despite India being one of the largest producers of agriculture and horticultural products in the world, its export performance has not been on par with its potential.

"It is because of this reason that the Indian agri and horticulture products sometimes face ban on export markets in economies of scale," he said, stressing on the need for farmers to follow global practices for export production.
Sarangi asked domestic producers of agri and horticulture products to take extra care to adhere to the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) agreements to respect well-established international practices of agricultural trade.
Speaking on the occasion, agri-export promotion body APEDA General Manager Tarun Bajaj said Indian farmers should take advantage of multiple government schemes to enhance their farm production by adopting latest technologies.

He said the Department of Commerce is working on a portal on the lines of alibaba.Com to provide sale services to promote export of agriculture and horticulture products.