Around 80% of the kharif and late kharif onion crops in Nashik district, India, were damaged by heavy rainfall between September 22 and 28. Initial assessments by the agriculture department indicate that approximately 40,000 hectares of plantations were affected. Officials expect that this could reduce supply during October and November, potentially leading to higher onion prices.
By September 25, kharif onion planting in Nashik had been completed across 50,000 hectares, including 40,000 hectares of kharif onions and 10,000 hectares of late kharif onions. Kharif planting typically occurs from July to mid-September, while late kharif planting runs from mid-September to the end of November.
Weather conditions earlier in the season already disrupted production. Continuous rainfall since May, coupled with dry spells in certain areas, hindered seedling development and delayed planting in July and August. According to officials, by August 31, only 6,000 hectares had been planted. The pace later increased, reaching 40,000 hectares by September 15, with late kharif planting starting on September 16 and covering 10,000 hectares by September 25.
A senior official from the horticulture division of the agriculture department said, "Unfortunately, recent heavy rain damaged kharif and late kharif onion crops across 40,000 hectares. The panchnama of the crop damage in the district has started. The exact crop loss will be known after the panchnama process is completed."
The official added that the area for late kharif onions, usually planted in October and November, is expected to increase. However, regular arrivals of the new crop, which normally begin at the end of October, may be delayed until the second half of December. "A scarcity of the produce may be created in October and November if the stock of the summer onions is exhausted," the official said.
Kharif and late kharif onions have a shelf life of less than one month, which prompts farmers to sell them quickly at prevailing market prices. In contrast, summer onions, harvested in March and April, can be stored for six to seven months. Farmers often hold this stock to secure better prices later. Nashik district has a storage capacity of around 2.5 million tonnes for summer onions, with current stock levels estimated at 1 million tonnes.
Bharat Dighole, president of the Maharashtra Onion Farmers' Association, noted that the production cost of onions is about US$21.60 per 100 kg. "Farmers suffer significant losses when prices fall below this threshold. Over the past few months, average wholesale prices in the district's APMCs have hovered between US$13.20 and US$14.40 per 100 kg," Dighole said, calling for financial assistance from the state government.
Source: Times of India