10,000 tonnes onion exported to three states

Almost 1,000 tonnes of onion was dispatched to Sri Lanka, Dubai and Muscat as Pakistan has started export of the onion grown in Balochistan. The country has exported onion worth Rs 10.37 million to the three countries after getting a 1,000 tonnes per week capacity in the Rabi crop, exporters told Business Recorder here on Monday.
So far the onion export to Sri Lanka stands at 500 tonnes (Rs 5.1 million) while 300 tonnes (Rs 3.11 million) and 200 tonnes (Rs 2.07 million) to Dubai and Muscat respectively, exporters said. They said export of onion could be possible due to a good production in Balochistan as well as the absence of Indian competition from international market as New Delhi is busy in storage of the commodity nowadays.
Exporters said that Pakistan would be able to export 1,000 tonnes of onion per week in the days to come, but this depends on the condition of climate as the monsoon rains are prematurely threatening. The country after having a good onion production in Balochistan would continue this accelerated pace in onion export if weather remains favourable as last year monsoon rains had badly affected the onion crop in Interior Sindh like Sangar, Tando Allayar Khan, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and some areas of Balochistan.
The rains last year had compelled Pakistan, which is one of the major onion exporters to Middle and Far Eastern countries, to import onion to meet demand at local market, exporters said. Onion grows in four provinces and meets the country's demand, which, the exporters said, stands at 300 trucks, each with a weight of 10 tonnes, a day (3000 tonnes) as well as being exported.
They said that onion is being sold between Rs 7 and Rs 10 per kg in the local markets. It is worth mentioning here that in 2006-07 Pakistan had set 2.1 million tonnes as onion production target and estimated a 126.3 thousands hectares area for cultivation, but the torrential rains and the resultant standing water in fields made the country to face a 14.3 percent decline in output.
Besides crop-damaging monsoon rains decrease in the area cultivation was also a reason behind dip in the onion production in 2006-07 as the government had estimated an area for being cultivated at 126.3 thousands hectare while the growers have sown onion on 124.08 thousands hectare. In addition to this, the growers due to continued rains and standing water in the fields were not able to re-sow their fields.