Supply Chain Management of Onion

A Presentation By …

Divya Rawat (0829) & Hina Ansari (0863)

Onion…

Onion is generally known as…

Zwiebeln in German

Oignons in French

Cebollas in Spanish

Allium cepa in Scientific terms

The Product …

• The edible onion belongs to the lily family (Liliaceae) and comes originally from Central Asia.

• The ripening process starts when the onion bulb proper forms. Bulb formation is determined by day length and varies with the variety of onion.

• Postharvest, the onion undergoes a post-ripening process. • The roots, peduncle and outermost scale leaves dry; the latter

change color and lie tightly around the onion neck, providing protection against evaporation and attack from microorganisms.

• Process further assisted by subsequent post-drying.

Statistics• India exported a record 1.6 million tonne of onion in the

financial year 2008-09 against 1.1 million tonne in the previous year, largely due to strong demand from Iran and Pakistan.

• The Gulf countries are the main importers of the onion from India. Pakistan, China and Iran are India’s main competitors in the global market.

• The country’s onion exports have increased from 8.29 lakh tonne during 2003-04 to 1.1 million tonne during 2007-8. During 2007-08, India exported onions worth of Rs 1,285.82 crore.

Quality Determinants

When inspecting the cargo to be loaded, it is essential to payattention to the following points:• The onions must not be wet or covered with condensation;

instead, they must be dry and parchment-like, which may be discerned from the "lovely rustling sound" the bag makes when lifted.

• The onions must be fully developed and well ripened, they should be round and not flat and must not be soft to the touch.

• The onion neck must be closed and not thick, which would be an indication of inadequate ripeness.

• No peduncle residues must be left on the onions: these must be twisted off, not cut off, as there is otherwise a risk of onion neck rot.

• The roots must be dry and free of soil, which contains rot pathogens.• The onions should where possible not have sprouted or have done so

only slightly.• Mechanically damaged, squashed onions must always be rejected, as

they cause rapid spoilage due to more intense respiration. • Loose-skinned onions are fit for shipping provided that they are dry

and not damaged.• The onions must be sound and free from rodents.

ONION EXPORTS IN THE LAST 5 YEARS

S.no. Year Onion Export From India (MT)

Export value in Crores

1. 2003-04 8.29 672.35

2. 2004-05 9.44 817.49

3. 2005-06 7.70 620.27

4. 2006-07 11.61 1135.42

5. 2007-08 11.01 1285.82

Onion Exports from India…

• India majorly exports onion to Singapore, Malaysia, Middle East, Sri

Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius etc. besides having enquiries from other

countries too.

• Consumers in the importing countries have traditionally developed

special taste and liking for Nasik/ Pune/ Bombay onion due to its

pungency, flavour and colour. These qualities have had an added

advantage for Nasik/ Pune/ Bombay onion in the export market.

Quality for Export of Onion

Country Colour Size Remarks

Middle East and Gulf

(Dubai, Sharjah, Doha,

Muscat, Bahrain,

Damman, Saudi Arabia,

Kuwait)

Light red to dark red 40 - 60 mm Globular / Pungent

Malaysia, Singapore,

Port Kelang & African

Ports

Dark red to violet 25 - 30 mm Globular / Pungent

Sri Lanka Dark red to light red 25 - 30 mm Globular or Oval

Bangladesh, Pakistan &

Nepal Light red to dark red 25 - 30 mm Globular Pungent

Europe Yellowish / Brown 60 - 70 mm Globular / Less

Pungent

Japan Yellowish / Brown 60 - 70 mm Globular / Less

Pungent

Agri Export Zones

• Promote greater exports of Onion and its products from the State.

• Maharashtra leads in production of Onion in the country today (66000 Ha area with 1324000 MT production).

• Fresh onion is exported from the State in large quantities. • Exports of value added or processed onion is taking place in

limited quantities.

Brief Details…

• A number of activities suggested under the AEZ to facilitate exports, include interventions in Production, Post Harvest practices, processing and Marketing areas leading to an integrated approach for export development.

• Creation of and up gradation of post harvest infrastructure required for Exports.

• Project outlay is Rs. 3224 Lakhs over a 5 year period• Financial support from Government Agencies estimated at Rs. 1912 Lakhs

and investment from Private entrepreneurs at Rs. 1312 Lakhs. • Expected to result in increased exports of 59000 MT of fresh Onion over

the next 5 years valued at Rs. 6500 Lakhs and processed onion exports of 16775 MT valued at Rs.7650 Lakhs.

POST-HARVEST MANAGEMENT

Post-harvest management of bulbs

• The impact of post-harvest technology is found better when it

is combined with pre-harvest factors determining shelf-life

and thus integrated approach is absolutely essential as no

single factor can show required impact as also the response of

various factors depend on prevailing weather conditions.

• Eg.:- Application of thiophanate methyl @ 0.1% + streptocyclin or klorocin @ 0.2% + ekalux @ 0.25% immediately after neck cut and combined with field and shade curing is promising under North Indian conditions

• Stage of harvesting plays a major role in determining the shelf-life of onions as it is linked with physiological maturity of bulbs.

• Stage of curing is another important step of post-harvest handling to reduce losses and maintain quality of bulbs in storage.

Shed curing

Windrow curing

• Sorting and grading should be done at field level to minimize post-harvest losses at subsequent stages.

• Use of consumer packing for graded bulbs, avoid drop of bulbs from more than 30 cm height, avoid sunscald by eliminating over-drying of outer scales directly in sun etc. improve shelf-life of onions.

• Perforated hessian bags and plastic-woven bags are used for onion packing to permit proper ventilation.

• Tier system of transportation on poor roads, restriction of loading height in trucks and wagons, providing ventilation in railway wagons and quick movement of onion wagons or truck loads minimize the post-harvest losses of onions.

• Use of irradiation improves shelf-life of onions.

Harvesting

• Manual harvesting • Mechanical harvesting• Two-phase harvesting of onions

Cleaning

• Freedom from any impurity, which may materially alter the

appearance or eating quality, is essential.

• Soil and other foreign materials must be removed and badly

affected produce must be discarded.

• Cleaning may be carried out using air or by manually

removing unwanted materials on the bulb surface.

• Care should be taken to avoid physical injury on the bulb

during these operations.

Packaging

• Good packaging for onions must meet the following criteria:

(a) strong enough to retain the required weight of onions under

the conditions of transport and storage

(b) allow sufficient ventilation for the air around the bulbs to

maintain relative humidity in the required range, and

(c) In many circumstances, provide a means of displaying legally

required and commercially necessary information

Onions can be packaged and stored in a variety of containers

such as boxes, cartons, bags, bulk bins, pre-packs, plastic film

bags, and stretch-wrapped trays.

• Onion Bags

Sacks and nets used for onion packaging fall into three groups:

general-purpose jute sacks

open-weave sacks of sisal-like fibre

open-mesh nets, normally of plastic materials

• Rigid Packages

The principal rigid containers

are

trays (10-15 kg of onions each),

boxes (up to 25 kg)

bulk bins (up to 1000 kg)

• Onion Pre-packs capacity of

0.5-1.5 kg.

Transport

• Means of transportShip, aircraft, truck, railroad

• Symbols :

Container transport

• As chilled goods: Refrigerated Containers with fresh air

supply or controlled atmosphere.

As general cargo: actively ventilated containers, open-sided

containers, Open top Containers, flatracks (for loading below

deck)

Parameters for controlled atmosphere transport

O2

Designation Temperature Rel.Humidity O2 CO2 Suitability for controlled atmosphere

Onions dry 0.6-1.7°C 65-75% 1-2% 0% good

Onions Green 0.6-1.7°C 95-100% 2-4% 10-20% good

Cargo Handling

• Since onions are highly sensitive to impact and pressure, they must be handled with appropriate care.

• Damage to onions, caused by setting them down roughly for example, results in greater respiration intensity and self-heating.

• The required refrigeration temperature must always be maintained, even during cargo handling.

• In damp weather (rain, snow), the cargo must be protected from moisture, since this may lead to self-heating, sprouting, root growth and packaging decay.

Risk factors and loss prevention

Temperature

Where journey times are relatively long or a relatively long

storage life is desirable, onions must be transported under

temperature-controlled conditions.

Ventilation

If the onions are transported as standard general cargo

rather than as chilled goods, 25 air circulations/h with

constant supply of fresh air will suffice.

Humidity/Moisture

Onions require a lower, temperature-dependent equilibrium

moisture content than other vegetable cargoes with a high

water

Content.Their particular relative humidity requirements stem

from the protective function of the outermost scale leaves,

which need to be kept dry.

Biotic activity : Care of the cargo during the voyage must be

aimed at controlling respiration processes

(release of CO2, water vapor, ethylene and heat) in such a way

that the cargo is at the desired stage of ripeness on reaching its

destination

Mechanical influences : No more than 12 bags should be stowed

on top of one another, as too great a

stack height leads to bruising, excessive heating and rot.

Insect infestation / Diseases

The quarantine regulations of the country of destination must be

complied with and a phytosanitary certificate may have to be

enclosed with the shipping documents. Information may be

obtained from the phytosanitary authorities of the countries

concerned.

Odour

• Active behavior - Onions have an unpleasant, pungent odor.

An increase in odor levels indicates self-heating, which is

associated with the loss of essential oils, sugar and vitamins.

• Passive behavior - Onions are highly sensitive to odor-

emitting goods and should not be stowed in a hold together

with hides, furs, bones or other animal products.

Contamination

• Active behavior - Onions produce dust.

• Passive behavior - Onions are sensitive to dirt, fats and oils.

They may turn brown, especially if the previous cargo was

ammonia (NH3).

Hazards to health

• If ventilation has been inadequate , life-threatening CO2

concentrations or O2 shortages may arise. Therefore, before

anybody enters the hold, it must be ventilated.

• In marine transport, no access is permitted to the holds

without breathing apparatus or until they have been

ventilated for a long enough period.

Storage of onions

• Storage temperature and humidity affect loss in weight, respiration rate, sprouting, rotting and quality of bulbs in storage.

• The dormancy in onion bulbs is the main factor to determine as how long the bulbs can be stored.

• Inherent characters of dormancy based on equilibrium of inhibitors in onion bulbs also gets affected by temperature where lower (00C) and higher (300C) temperature increase the dormant state of onion bulbs and moderate (10-150C) temperature enhance the sprouting losses by breaking dormancy.

Manglore tiled storage Improved ventilatedstorage strucrure

3-tier onion storage structure Improved low cost storage structure

Salient features of improved storage structures

• Construction of structure on raised platform to prevent

moisture contact and dampness.

• Providing bottom ventilation for free and faster air circulation

to avoid formation of hot and humid pockets between the

onion layers.

• Avoid direct sunlight on onion bulbs to reduce sunscald,

fading of colour and quality deterioration.

• Maintenance of stacking height to 100 cm for small and

multiplier onions and hot weather and 120 cm for mild

weather and for big onions to avoid pressure bruising.

• One cubic meter area of store accommodates about 750 kg

onions. Accordingly construction of godown for required

capacity and construction of more units instead of single big

structure and in zigzag manner when constructed in more

rows to have better aeration.

• Restriction on width of each stack to 60-75 cm for hot and

humid weather, 75 - 90 cm for mild and humid weather and

90-120 cm for mild and dry weather conditions.

• Periodical disinfection of structures and premises to check

rottage. The cost-efficient of structures is based on locally -

available materials and labour.

Processing

Processing

• Processing onion: (diameter) 50 -150 mm • Production efficiency : 100-120 pcs/Minute• The total power : 7.8 KW • High-pressure air system• Equipment configuration

dimensions: length X width X height = 3.7 m x1.51 m X2.33 m

Various Products of onion

• dehydrated onion

• dehydrated green onions

• onion flakes

• Onion Rings

Contd…

• Diced Onion

• Flavours

• Onion Oil

• Onion concentrate

Other Processes…

Thank You