Small onion cultivation will be profitable, TNAU

Farmers are advised to take appropriate sowing decision as the farm gate prices for good quality small onion (shallot) will prevail around Rs 32 to 35 per kg during July-August, and may even go upto Rs 50, with the onset of monsoon, says a Tamil Nadu Agriculture University study.
The Price Forecasting Scheme of TNAU has analyzed the farm gate price of shallot that prevailed during the last 13 years in Dindigul market and arrived at the price behaviour.
The major growing seasons are May to June and October to November and varieties under cultivation are CO1, CO2 and CO(On) 5, whereas CO (On) 5 is the most preferred for export.

Arrival of small onions from Mysuru district has started in Dindigul market and it will continue till July.
The demand for small onions raised from plant nursery is high in Dindigul market, owing to its size, which is bigger than other ruling varieties and also mainly used as seed material for the ensuing season.
Small onion is one of the most important commercial vegetable crops grown in Southern Indian and Tamil Nadu, where Dindigul, Tiruppur, Perambalur, Trichy and Namakkal are the major shallot producing districts and small onion accounts for nearly 75 percent of the total onion produced in Tamil Nadu with a productivity of 12 tonnes per hectare.

With the onset of the South-West Monsoon, the prices of good quality small onions is likely to get higher than the prevailing price of just around Rs 25 per kg, the analysis said.