With 2.1 lakh tonnes a month, UP biggest consumer of onions; Bihar next on list

NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh, the state with the maximum population in the country, consumes nearly 2.1 lakh tonnes of onions every month — the highest among all states and Union Territories. Bihar and Maharashtra are the two other states that consume more than one lakh tonne each per month.

Government officials say the domestic consumption of the kitchen staple is estimated to be close to 165 lakh tonne a year, which is much less than the annual production of the crop.

However, loss of harvest due to weather conditions and sometimes a jump in exports often result in spike in rates, which successive governments have struggled to tackle despite the political toll high prices of onions can extract. The government has also been resorting to imports to tide over the crisis as is being done now. Sources said the first lot of imported onions this year will come from Egypt soon. “Private players have already started the process and arrival of the imported onions will help correct prices. There is some impact of the recent decision to impose stock limits on onions that the retailers and wholesalers can keep with them,” a consumer affairs ministry official said.


The prices of onions have decreased marginally across some cities recently, except in a few cities such as Delhi.

Onion prices have been rising since August end, soon after reports of significant losses to the kharif crop due to heavy rainfall in Karnataka. Officials said the fresh crop, though expected to be less as compared to the earlier estimate, is likely to start arriving at mandis by the second week of November and that will have more impact on prices of onion. “As the import of onion will also continue, we hope to tide over this problem,” said a government official.