The production of potatoes is also expected to decline 58.9 million tonnes in 2023-24 compared to last year’s 60.1 million tonnes due to a lesser output in West Bengal.
“Production of Onion in 2023-24 (First Advance Estimates) is expected to be around 254.73 Lakh Tonne compared to around 302.08 Lakh Tonne last year due to decrease of 34.31Lakh Tonne in Maharashtra, 9.95 Lakh Tonne in Karnataka, 3.54 Lakh Tonne in Andhra Pradesh and 3.12 Lakh Tonne in Rajasthan, ” the ministry said in a statement.
The government last year, imposed a ban on onion exports till March 31 to meet domestic demand and stabilise its wholesale prices after erratic rains in the major producing areas shrunk the crop significantly.
After onion prices started climbing in August 2023, the government decided to sell buffer onion stock at a subsidised rate of Rs 25 per kg in retail markets to provide relief to the consumers.
To further regulate prices, the government had previously imposed a minimum export price (MEP) of $ 800 per tonne on onion exports from October 28 to December 31. Additionally, a 40% export duty on onions was in place until December 31, 2023.However, when high onion still kept pushing food inflation up, the government which has to seek vote from the people during the general elections in 2024, imposed a total ban on the shipment of the kitchen staple in December.
First Advance Estimate
The overall horticulture production in the country in 2023-24 is estimated to be about 355.25 million tonnes on account of in increase in area by 1.15% over last year, according to the First Advance Estimates.
The production of fruits is expected to reach 112.08 million tonnes, mainly due to increases in production of Banana, Mandarin and Mango.
The production of vegetables is expected to be around 209.39 million tonnes.
The government expects an increase in production of cabbage, cauliflower, pumpkin, tapioca, tomato among others.
The production of tomatoes is expected to go up by 1.93% touching 20.8 million tonnes.
