Onions are one of the popular vegetables used by people all over the world.In India,it is the second largest vegetable cultivated from soil by quantity. Potato is the first one.For Indians,Onions are part of their daily food which cannot be replaced with any other vegetable.Hence Onion price hike can badly affect the day to day economics of Indians.Sometimes increase in the Onion prices affect the political stability of governments.Hence Onion prices are closely watched by all state governments in India.
Recent price increase of Onions in 2019 given golden opportunity for farmers to get maximum benefits from Onion Farming.Unfortunately most of the farmers were not in a position to utilise this opportunity as their crops were damaged due to heavy rain in some parts of India.Since onion is a highly perishable vegetable,utmost care to be maintained by farmers who are farming Onion.Since bad weather can affect the production,it is advisable for farmers to slowly move towards Greenhouse farming to avoid such damages.
In order to take advantages of such sudden price hikes,farmers should be equipped with knowledge of farming of all types of crops so that they can utilise some parts of their farm land for such crops whose prices are on rise.Farmer should be able to gather information as early as possible and divert some of their resources towards such seasonal changes to get maximum benefits out of it.Forming farmers Co-Operative societies will be very helpful in this case.
Having knowledge of cultivating Onions will always give great advantage for farmers to capture such situations where Onion prices go high.This will also enable them to understand such situations where the chance of crop damages are high and utilise such situations effectively.
Preparation of Soil
The soil should be lite and water should be easily drained.It should be rich with organic manures like cow dung or composts.Watering facility should be available as Onions require water in great quantity.Beds are prepared 1.5m * 10 m with hight of .5m. The soil must be enriched with organic matters to ensure healthy onion harvest. Farming inside a greenhouse will help to avoid adverse weather impacts.
Planting
Seeds are used to plant Onions.Transplanting is also done.But it is better to plant seeds are small distances and avoid transplanting to save on labour costs.Winter seasons are best for farming Onions.but farmer can take advantage of sudden price hikes by farming inside Greenhouses. Recommended seed rates are 5 Kg /ha.You can derive the ratio based on your available land.Onions take up to 12 days to germinate.Seeds to be planted at a depth of 3 cm and space between seeds to be kept as 10 cm within rows and 25 cm between rows.
Maintenance
You should be using certified/Quality seeds.Virus affected onion plants to be removed time to time.Weeds are also to be controlled.Watering should be done daily.Avoid water logging.You must regularly inspect your field.
Harvesting
Onions will mature within 4-5 months after planting.Onions must be harvested when the leaves are dried completely. You can un root onion plants after 120 days and keep it in the field for one week to dry. Utmost care to be taken to avoid water entry during this time.While storing the onions ,air circulation must be ensured.
Getting trained
Through this post we are trying to provide you an overview of the Onion farming. Before getting into the farm field,you must ensure that you are equipped with quality training.You can contact your nearest Krishi Vigyan Kendra to get yourself enrolled for Onion farming training.This will help you to get latest knowledge and training in Onion farming.Wish you all the very best.
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