Ambala Onion

It is perhaps not known to many that Bharat is the second – largest producer of onions in the world with the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana contributing a sizeable share to the overall production.

 

As Haryana is predominantly an agrarian economy with over 70 percent of its workforce engaged in either farming or food processing, it has made great strides in onion cultivation particularly in recent years with progressive farmer – friendly schemes, infrastructure and subsidies provided by the state and central government.

 

One of the most important onion clusters of the state is Ambala which has the ideal agro – climatic conditions (hot summers, cool winters and adequate rain, ample water supply and sandy loam to loamy sand soil) to cultivate native varieties of onion.

 

It is estimated that over 4,652 hectares of land is under onion cultivation with an impressive annual production of over 78,911 tonnes. Onion is an important cash crop for small and marginal farmers and is grown in both the kharif and rabi seasons.

 

Ambala onion is extremely popular because of its attractive red colour, high pungency, size (bigger than other varieties) and long shelf life. As it is larger in size, it is easier to cut with lesser wastage and preferred for domestic and commercial use.

 

It is this high level of pungency that makes this variety preferable in making pickles, paste, flakes, papad and powder as well as hair oil and shampoo.

 

The immense export potential of this onion needs to be explored further to generate more value – added products for the marginal farmers. The state and central government are seriously working to establish better infrastructure and storage units and implementing the latest technology to preserve the quality and freshness of this agricultural produce.

 

Written by Lakshmi Subramanian