The Ministry of Agriculture has directed the Department of Agriculture to submit an immediate report on the cultivation of big onions in the country, following observations of a drastic reduction in growing the crop.

An official of the Ministry told The Daily Morning that while the annual requirement of big onions in Sri Lanka is 300,000 metric tonnes (MT), local farmers have produced only 4,716 MT of big onions so far this year (2023). According to the Ministry, the quantity of big onions imported from 1 January 2023 to date amounts to 131,795 MT.

The Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera had recently said that although the cultivation of big onions was carried out progressively in the past, the same has become extremely unsuccessful during the past seven to eight years. As farmers tend to abandon the cultivation of big onions in this situation, Minister Amaraweera has instructed the Agriculture Department to prepare a report and submit it to the Ministry, immediately.

The move comes as India yesterday (20) moved to impose an onion export duty of 40%, in an effort to improve availability of vegetables in the domestic market. India also restricted the export of rice last month (July).

The Department has been instructed to prepare the report with an emphasis on the increasing of local big onion production, or the necessary arrangements to direct farmers to cultivate high-yield crops on lands that are currently being used to cultivate big onions.