written by Staff
Tuesday October 9, 2012
A BUMPER onion production is expected this year as harvesting of the crop in major growing areas was completed before the monsoon and it has escaped damage from the downpour. This is expected to create huge trade surplus for export of the commodity.
Sindh tops in onion production with 39 per cent of the country’s total output. Balochistan stands second with 35 per cent, followed by Punjab 18 per cent and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa eight per cent.
The crop has progressed well as far as increase in area and production of the crop is concerned. The area and production, on an average, has increased to over 127.8 thousand hectares and 1.7 million tons respectively with a yield of 13.8 tons per hectare. But the volume of production per year varies based on various factors including drop in acreage and vagaries of weather.
The common commercial varieties of onion grown in the country are Sariab Red, Chiltan-89, Phulkara, Sawat-1, Desi Red, Thana Bola Khan, Ghotki and Nusarpuri. The major onion growing districts in Sindh are Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Tando Allahyar and Matiari, in Punjab Kasur, Gujranwala, Shekhupura , Vehari , Khanewal, D.G.Khan and Jhang; in Balochistan Mastung, Kalat, Chaghai, Khuzdar and Turbat and in Khyber Pukhtun-khawa Swat. These districts account for over 75 per cent of the total onion production of the country.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), Pakistan is the fifth largest onion producer.
The agro-ecological diversity in the country enables production of onions almost around the year. However, production volumes greatly differ from crop to crop. The bulk of onion crop is harvested between August and May. Onion exports are mainly undertaken during this period, predominantly from Sindh crop.
Owing to short shelf-life and shortage of cold storage facilities in the country, onions cannot be stored over an extended period and have to be disposed off in the domestic and international market as fresh harvest.
Last year, after the Indian onion crop was ruined in September and October over its large areas, Pakistan exported around 200,000 tonnes of the commodity to India. This was made possible by a bumper crop in Sindh.
Major traditional importers of onion from Pakistan are Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Gulf States.
A leading onion exporter, who is also President Wholesale Vegetable Welfare Association, Sabzi Mandi Karachi, Haji Shahjahan, claimed that Pakistani onion exporters must be credited for breaking the Indian hegemony by exporting onion.
From February to March of the current year, Indian onion was dominating the international market on account of low price and bulk production.
However, Pakistani exporters are making inroads in some of their traditional markets with their fine crop from Balochistan.
Shahjahan said Wadh, Kharan, Sarab, Khuzdar, Nal, Harambo and Krashak were onion growing areas of the province from where onion was supplied to all parts of the country.
From next month, enhanced production of onion from the province would not only quicken the pace of export but also ensure its smooth availability to domestic consumers, he said.
From October onwards harvesting of onion in Sindh would start which would not only cater to domestic consumption but also help expedite export process further.
The current export price of onion destined for UAE and other countries stands at $200 per metric tonne while local prices are currently ruling at about Rs40-50 per kg in the retail markets in Karachi. Recent rains have disrupted the supply of the commodity, sources said.
Shahjahan urged the government to develop a comprehensive network of proper storage system for the commodity in the oinion growing areas, which may help its export even during the off season especially during the monsoon season.
The export of vegetables, mainly onion, suffered volumetric year-on-year slide of 40.4 per cent in fiscal year 2011-12, discloses the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
“This major drop in exports was because of floods which had destroyed the onion crop in parts of the country mainly in Sindh,” says Waheed Ahmed, an office-bearer of the All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetables Exporters and Importers Association.
The export of onion from December 2010 to March 2011 amounted to about 150,000 tons. But during the same period, in 2011-12 it fell to about 1,000 tons only. In 2009-10, onion exports were worth $24 million.
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