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Bangalore rose onion exports have seen three-fold increase in the last one year to touch around 22,000 tonnes.
“For the last five years, the export of onions had been growing marginally at around 5,000-7,000 tonnes. But after we opening an export facilitation centre at Chennai, exports have gone up sharply,” Mr G.K. Vasanth Kumar, Managing Director, Kappec (Karnataka State Agricultural Produce Processing and Export Corporation), told Business Line .
“When onion exports were banned in the country, rose onion was spared this along with promotional campaigns undertaken by us along with both the central export agencies have seen a substantial increase in exports,” he added.
Exports of Bangalore rose onions are exclusively channelised through the corporation.
Karnataka is the only State in India growing rose onion. Currently, the crop is grown about 11,000 acres mainly in Kolar, Tumkur, Hassan, Davanagere, Dharwad, and Bagalkot.
Mr Vasant Kumar said the demand for this variety of onion is low in local markets, keeping this in mind the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) and Kappec have been promoting the crop in Far East (Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei) and a few countries in West Asia such as Bahrain, Dubai.
According to Kappec, rose onion exports in the first-three months (April – June) of this financial year (2011-12) have already touched 8,155 tonnes valued at Rs 21.07 crore.
During the last financial year (2010-11) exports stood at 22,346.49 and value at Rs 59.55 crore. In FY 2007-08, exports were 7,208.42 tonnes (value Rs 14.75 crore). In 2008-09, exports 5,879.79 tonnes (Rs 12.71 crore). In 2009-10, exports 8,318.56 tonnes (Rs 17.14 crore).
After the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority setting up of agri export zone (AEZ) for rose onion in Karnataka, the State has so far exported onions worth over Rs 500 crore in five years.
“AEZ status has offered Keppec to mobilise resources to partner with University of Agricultural Sciences and Indian Institute of Horticultural Research in Bangalore to develop new varieties and offer seed replacement to farmers,” said Mr Umesh C Bagur, General Manager, Kappec.
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