Drop in Indian onion, potato output: official data

Lower output and harvesting of summer-sown onion due to extreme weather prompted the government to ban exports in December

India’s production of vegetables and fruits during 2023-24 has been estimated to be 355.25 million tonnes, marginally lower than the previous year’s 355.48 million tonnes, the agriculture ministry’s first advance estimates of horticultural output for the year released on Thursday showed.

The fall in onion production in 2023-24 is due to a decrease of 3.4 million tonne in Maharashtra alone. (HT PHOTO)

Among key vegetables, the country’s output of onion, a volatile item, in 2023-24 is estimated to have dropped 16% to nearly 25.4 million tonne, compared to 30.2 million tonne in the previous, the figures show.

Lower output and harvesting of summer-sown onion due to extreme weather prompted the government to ban exports in December. A ban on onion exports by Turkey and Egypt, which grow onions similar in taste to ones in India, also kept supplies tight, causing local prices to jump.

The fall in onion production in 2023-24 is due to a decrease of 3.4 million tonne in Maharashtra alone, which is a large producer, the ministry said in a statement. Output of the vegetable was also lower than normal in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan, which together account for a third of total production.

A series of hailstorms in states such as Maharashtra damaged both summer and late-summer varieties this financial year. High retail prices prompted the government to sell onions at a discount from a state-owned buffer of 700,000 tonne.

Potato output in 2023-24 is estimated to be around 58.9 million tonne, which is 3% lower compared to 60.1 million tonne in the previous year due to a decrease in production in West Bengal, the first advance estimates showed. The total production of tomatoes has been estimated to be 20.8 million tonne, marginally higher than the 20.4 million tonne produced in the previous year, the data showed.

The production of fruits is expected to touch 112.08 million tonnes due to increases in the output of bananas, mandarin, and mangoes during 2023-24, the government said.