Introduction:
India is the second-largest onion-growing country in the world. The Indian onions are famous for their pungency and are available round the year. Indian onions have two crop cycles, first harvesting which starts from November to January and the second harvesting from January to May.

Varieties:The major varieties found in India are Agrifound Dark Red, Agrifound Light Red, NHRDF Red, Agrifound White, Agrifound Rose and Agrifound Red, Pusa Ratnar, Pusa Red, and Pusa White Round. There are certain varieties of yellow onion which are suitable for export in European countries Tana F1, Arad-H, Suprex, Granex 55, HA 60 and Granex 429.

Production:The Major Onion producing states are Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh. Maharashtra ranks first in Onion production with a share of 35.45% followed by Madhya Pradesh with a share of 17.17 % in 2023-24.

Export:There is a lot of demand for Indian Onion in the world. The country has exported fresh onion to the world during the year 2024-25 as is in below table.

Modern pack houses for sorting, grading and packing the quality onions are available at production zones. Guidelines have been framed to determine the compliance with maximum residue levels (MRLs) for the identified pesticides. The grade designation and quality development parameters have also been set up for identifying quality onions.

Major Export Destinations (2024-25): Bangladesh, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Kuwait. (Source: DGCIS)