Onion Profile
World production
Onion (Allium cepa) is a popular vegetable grown for its pungent bulbs and flavorful leaves. Onion are consumed raw, boiled, fried or as pickle. Also used in medicines and as a flavouring agent. It is widely grown throughout the world. Onions are native to Asia and the Middle East and have been cultivated for over five thousand years. The world produces around 500-550 lakh tons of onion annually. World production stood at 579 lakh tons from an area of 31.80 lakh hectares in 2005.
Global Trade
Annually around 40 to 45 lakh tons of onion is traded globally. Onion export stood at all time high of 46.46 lakh tons during 2004. India stood first in the exporters list with export quantity of 8.33 lakh tons. China, Egypt and USA are other major exporters of onion. Russia is the largest importers contributing for 12% of total world onion imports followed by Bangladesh with 7.77%. Other major importers are UK, Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Belgium and Canada.
Indian Scenario
India is second largest onion growing country in the world. Indian onions are famous worldwide for their pungency. India has two crop cycles of onion, one harvesting start in Nov to Jan & second harvesting start in Jan to May. Indian onion is available round the year The Gulf countries are the main importers of the onion bulb, and neighboring Pakistan and China are India's main competitors in the global market. India's Export of onion has increased from Rs. 708.15 Crores (USD Million 159.96) in 2005-06 to Rs.1163.30 crores (USD Million 258.05) in 2006-07. Bnagladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, U.A.E, Pakistan and Nepal are the Major market of Indian Onion.
| Year | Area (in 000' ha) | Production (in 000' mt) | Productivity(mt/ha) |
| 2001-02 | 495.8 | 5252.1 | 10.6 |
| 2002-03 | 424.7 | 4209.5 | 9.9 |
| 2003-04 | 553.8 | 6267.6 | 11.3 |
| 2004-05 | 613.8 | 7760.6 | 12.6 |
| 2005-06 | 695.1 | 9248.4 | 13.3 |
Production of Onion in some major states of India in 2006
| State | Production In Tonnes | Percentage Share in Total |
| Maharashtra | 1878800.00 | 20.31 |
| Gujrat | 1876600.00 | 20.29 |
| Bihar | 1011700.00 | 10.94 |
| Karnataka | 1008500.00 | 10.90 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 670000.00 | 7.24 |
| Others | 657300.00 | 7.11 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 639800.00 | 6.92 |
| Rajasthan | 427200.00 | 4.62 |
| Haryana | 317700.00 | 3.44 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 283100.00 | 3.06 |
| Orissa | 243900.00 | 2.64 |
| Tamil Nadu | 233800.00 | 2.53 |
| Grand Total | 9,248,400 |
State wise season wise onion sowing and harvesting patterns in India
Source: National Horticulture Board, India
State Wise - Season Wise Distribution (%)
