In W18 in the onion landscape, unseasonal rains in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh have affected onion crops, leading to higher moisture content and reduced shelf-life. The state government is conducting surveys to assess the losses and assist farmers. The moisture content in rabi onions, which are stored and supplied until October, will be higher due to the rains, reducing their shelf-life from six to four months. Further rainfall could impact productivity. The benchmark prices for onions in Lasalgaon, Maharashtra, remain at the same level as 2022. Rabi onions harvested from April to June contribute to around 65% of the country's onion production and meet consumer demand until the Kharif crop is harvested from October to November.
In Austria, the demand for domestic storage onions is high. The price of onions reached USD 89.52/tonne (EUR 82/tonne) at the end of March. Onion prices in Georgia have doubled in the wholesale market, reaching USD 1.94/kg (GEL 5/kg) due to a supply shock. Georgia imported 2.5K tons of onions in April from Russia and Azerbaijan. On the other hand, the global market for fresh onions and shallots is projected to reach USD 42.7B in 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.6% during the forecast period. The Netherlands exported 12.97K tons of onions, a decrease of 1.5K tons compared to the previous week.
Lastly, Nigeria losses around USD 648.64K/kg (NGN 300M/kg) annually due to the lack of proper onion processing facilities. Despite producing about 2M tons of onions each year, accounting for 40% of the country's total production, the absence of processing facilities has resulted in significant post-harvest wastage. The Director General of the Raw Materials Research And Development Council reported commissioning a processing plant fabricated by Nigerian engineers.