Pakistan, with around 138,000 hectares and 1.8 million tons of onion production, stood at 6th and 9th position in terms of onion cultivation area and production respectively. Moreover, Pakistan contributes to 2.1 percent of world onion area and 1.9 percent of world onion production. This was informed by the Minister for National Food Security and Research (MNFSR), Syed Fakhar Imam when signing the memorandum of understanding recently for Pakistan’s onion export to China.
On the whole, the onion export of Pakistan accounts for less than 10% of the total output, as can be seen from the latest statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (updated in 2019), which indicates great potential yet to be untapped.
Onion cultivation in Pakistan is greatly dependent on climate. In 2020, for example, onion prices rose sharply as the country faced a shortage of onions due to a series of heavy rains in Sindh and Baluchistan provinces, which drastically reduced onion production. For Pakistan, onions are an essential national food, and even increasing imports of onions has not alleviated the country's onion shortage.
On the other hand, high-quality seeds are in short supply in Pakistan. There is a shortage of high-yield seeds that are easy to store and more resistant to pests and diseases.
