Bhubaneswar: A good news for the consumers. Onions can no more give buyers a teary eye, nor the potato will be too hot to handle in 2020.
The 2019-20 horticultural year's first advance estimates predict a three-year high onion production in country in the farm year 2019-20 (June - May). The country saw a production to the tune of 22.4MT (million tonnes) in 2016-17, 23.2 MT in 2017-18, 22.82 MT in 2018-19. The first estimates of 2019-20 pegs the onion production in the country at 24.45MT. It says, onion production will be 7.17 per cent more than 2018-19.
With regard to the potato production, the first advance estimates predict a production of 51.9 MT in 2019-20 vis-a-vis 50.1MT in 2018-19. Production of this tuber vegetable in 2019-20 is highest during the last three years. The production in 2016-17 was 48.6MT, 51.3MT in 2017-18 and 50.19MT in 2018-19, reveals the National Horticulture Board data.
The production data shows the current high prices of potato was due to the lowest ever potato production in country in 2018-19. The latest estimates for potato forecasts the production to be higher by over 3 per cent.
Another reassuring fact to the fore is prices of Tomato, the poor man's apple, will not make the soup of a common man. The production of the vegetable is estimated to rise 19.3MT vis-a-vis 19 MT in 2018-19. However, the rider here is tomato production in 2016-17 and 2017-18 was at 20.7MT and 19.7 MT, respectively.
The higher production of these three vegetables of mass consumption in the country in the farm year 2019-20 is a good news for Odisha. Because the State basically depends on imports of these three vegetables.
As on today, the prices of Onion in State is ruling between Rs 55 - 60/kg and potato prices are quoted between Rs 25-35/kg. The prices of tomato are around Rs 14 -20/kg.
Highest retail price of potato today in country is at Vijaywada. The price quoted there stood at Rs 54/kg and lowest potato price is Rs 15/kg in Chandigarh and Amritsar.
In Onion prices too, Vijayawada topped the country with a price tag of Rs 90/kg; whereas the lowest price of onion was noticed in Bhopal where the prices stood at Rs 40/kg.