15% drop in onion production, 2% decrease in potato yield in India

India’s horticultural landscape is set to experience a mixed bag of outcomes in the 2023-24 season, according to the First Advance Estimates released by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. While the overall production is projected to rise, key staples like onions and potatoes are expected to see a decrease in output.

The anticipated onion production for the 2023-24 season stands at approximately 25.47 million tonnes (MT), marking a significant drop from the previous year’s 30.21 MT. This 15% decline is attributed to lower yields in major producing states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan, with respective productions of 3.43 MT, 0.99 MT, 0.35 MT, and 0.31 MT.

Potato production is also expected to witness a slight downturn, with estimates hovering around 58.99 MT compared to 60.14 MT in the last season. The 2% reduction is primarily due to a shortfall reported in West Bengal, a key contributor to India’s potato supply.

Despite these setbacks, the overall horticulture production in India is estimated to reach about 355.25 MT. The area under horticulture cultivation is projected to expand by 1.15% to 0.33 million hectares (mha). This growth is bolstered by the increased production of fruits, particularly bananas, oranges, and mangoes, which are expected to collectively contribute 112.08 MT to the fruit sector.

Vegetable production is also on the rise, with an estimate of 209.39 MT. Notable increases are expected in the cultivation of cabbage, cauliflower, pumpkin, tapioca, and tomatoes. Tomato production alone is set to increase slightly from 20.43 MT to 20.83 MT.

Reflecting on the previous year’s Final Estimates, the 2022-23 horticulture production was pegged at 355.48 MT, a 2.39% increase from 2021-22. The area under cultivation also grew by 1.41% or 0.40 mha. Fruit production saw a boost, mainly due to higher outputs of apples, bananas, grapes, mangoes, and watermelons, totaling 110.21 MT.

Vegetable production in 2022-23 also went up, reaching 212.55 MT from 209.14 MT in 2021-22. However, certain vegetables like chilli (green), onion, radish, tapioca, and tomato did not share in this growth.

The onion production for 2022-23 was finalized at 30.21 MT, a decrease from 31.69 MT in the preceding year. Conversely, potato production saw an increase from 56.18 MT in 2021-22 to 60.14 MT in 2022-23. Tomato production remained relatively stable, with a slight decrease from 20.69 MT to 20.425 MT.

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