Comments
Onion exports have risen by over 17 per cent to 12.95 lakh tonnes during April-December this fiscal, but shipments in the coming months are expected to slow down as local prices have begun to rise.
The country had exported 11 lakh tonnes in the same period last year, the Nashik-based National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF) said.
“So far, onion exports have been better than last year.
However, the pace has come down as domestic prices have risen making the agricultural commodity less competitive in the international market,” NHRDF Director R.P. Gupta told PTI.
The rise in domestic prices by Rs 2-3 per kg to Rs 14-15 per kg in the growing regions in anticipation of a drop in output this year, has reduced the export margins, he said, adding that shipments during January and February are seen lower.
Onions are exported mainly to Gulf nations and South-east Asia countries especially Indonesia and Malaysia.
Allaying fears of a fall in onion production in the 2012-13 crop year (July-June), Gupta said: “Total onion production is expected to be the same as at last year’s level of 174 lakh tonnes despite 10 per cent decline in acreage.’’
Productivity of onion this year is expected to be higher and there will be no supply shortage, he said.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.