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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 pay


attention 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 Export value
From India (MT) 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
Middle East and
(Dubai, Sharjah
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- Shed curing
harvest handling to reduce
losses and maintain quality of
bulbs in storage.

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 transport
Ship, 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
D esign
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 ventilated
storage 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 flakes
onion

• dehydrated green • Onion Rings


onions
Contd…

• Diced Onion • Onion Oil

• Flavours • Onion concentrate


Other Processes…
Thank You

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