Punjab to increase area under onion

Chandigarh, Nov 4 (PTI) Punjab will increase area under onion to enable farmers to earn better returns from the crop, which has been witnessing upward trend in prices in the wake of shortage.

“The productivity of onion can be increased and its availability throughout the year can be ensured by bringing more area under onion cultivation, improving the quality of the crop and by providing proper storage facilities to farmers,” state Horticulture Director Gurkanwal Singh said here.

A project will be launched to increase productivity of onion in the state, he added. The experts of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana have also been asked to develop new and high yielding and durable cultivation of onion so that farmers could be attracted towards its cultivation for their benefits, Singh said.

He added that the present covered area under onion cultivation is 8,400 hectares with total output of 1.85 lakh tonnes.

Total production of onion in Punjab, including its neighbouring states — Haryana, Himchal Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan — is 8.9 lakh tonnes while demand is pegged at 25.50 lakh tonnnes.

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