Onion output pegged flat at 23.28 mn tonne in 2018-19

The country's onion production is expected to remain flat at 23.28 million tonne in the 2018-19 crop year that ended in June, according to the agriculture ministry's latest estimate.

While potato output is projected to be higher by 3.4 per cent at 53.03 million tonne, tomato production is seen to be lower 1.8 per cent at 19.39 million tonne in the said period, it said.

Overall vegetables production is estimated to be around 185.88 million tonne, higher than 184.39 million tonne achieved last year, it added.

As per the third advance estimate released by the ministry, total production of horticulture crops is pegged slightly higher at 313.85 million tonne for the 2018-19 crop year, as against 311.71 million tonne in the previous year.

"As area under horticulture crops has remained broadly at the same level, the higher production owes mainly to productivity gains," the ministry said in a statement.

There is an estimated increase in production of fruits, vegetables, spices, flowers and honey, whereas decline is seen in production of plantation and aromatic and medicinal crops from over the last year, it added.

Among vegetables, onion output is expected to be 23.28 million tonne in 2018-19 as against 23.26 million tonne in the previous year.

Fruits production is estimated to be around 98.57 million tonne in 2018-19 compared with 97.36 million tonne in 2017-18.

Spices production is pegged at 9.22 million tonnes as against 8.6 million tonnes in the said period.