Onion Growing Areas

Asia
Australia/New Zealand
Europe
Middle East
United States

Asia

	China The biggest factor allowing China to stay in the game is low costs. Labor is extremely cheap at $2 a day, Follen explained, land costs are virtually non-existent and seed is cheap. But Chinese farms, particularly in rural areas, are not without problems: There are no refrigerated box cars for transport, only box cars lined with straw. Temperatures in western China can get as cold as northern Canada, making it hard to keep onions in good condition. Workers do everything by hand from plowing with donkeys to hand-cleaning each onion to individual hang-drying. There is virtually no storage, except for ground pits. To some degree, Japan offsets the storage problems by storing Chinese onions themselves, Follen said. Even with these crude practices, China remains the largest producer of onions in the world. Their production levels are three to four times the United States, Follen said. China is also geographically closer to the Japanese market, and Japan has been introducing hybrid seed for China to grow, he added. -Onion World, December 2002, pages 4-5.
	India The first consignments of Indian onions to a European country will leave Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (Mumbai) on Feb. 4, reported The Indian Express. A Maersk Line vessel was to carry three containers loaded with onions from Lasalgaon, Nashik, to Hamburg, Germany. The Vegetable and Fruits Cooperative Marketing Society and the NAFED are sending containers of 25 tons each and a private party is sending a container of 22 tons. -Onion World, March/April 2004, page 18.

Australia/New Zealand

	Australia Queensland, Australia's newest onion now has a name-Sweet Kiss-to match its reputation as a milder onion that produces fewer tears and a fresher breath, as reported on the Australian Online Farmer's Market Web site. "Already, the new name is attracting significant industry interest," said Henry Palaszczuk, Primary Industries and Rural Communities Minister. "We believe that can be harnessed into increased production and increased sales domestically and ultimately on the export market." The onion is the product of a sweet mild onion project between the Queensland Government's Department of Primary Industries (DPI), Queensland Fruit and Vegetable Growers and Horticulture Australia. -Onion World, March/April 2004, page 18.
	New Zealand The Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) has approved an application from Crop and Food Research to field test genetically modified onions in containment at a site located in the region around Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand. The purpose of this research, according to ERMA, is to field test onions modified for tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate. The onions will also be evaluated to determine their environmental impact, herbicide tolerance, agronomic performance and development as cultivars and equivalency to non-genetically modified onions. -Onion World, March/April 2004, page 18.

Europe

	England
	The Netherlands

United States

	Arizona
	California
	Colorado
	Georgia
	Hawaii
	Idaho-Eastern Oregon Idaho-Eastern Oregon Spanish Onions™ Available August-April
	Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, South Dakota
	Michigan Planting onions in Michigan starts in mid-April and harvest usually begins around Labor Day. Last year, growing conditions for one Grant area grower, Cal Dyk of Dyk Brothers, were ideal. Dyk grows about 200 acres and manages their packing facility. Some years in Michigan can be dry, and other years growers worry about flooding. Onions are mainly grown on muck soil, which is old swampland containing a lot of organic material. Depending on the level of organic material in the muck, the soil can hold a lot of moisture. While water is essential for growing onions, too much can mean the potential for certain diseases and pests. -Carrie Kennington, Editor, Onion World, February 2004, page 6.
	Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin
	Nevada
	New Mexico
	New York Onions are produced on approximately 14,500 acres of muck and a few hundred acres of upland soils. In Oswego County, we grow onions on about 2,300 acres of muck and about 100 acres of upland soils. The majority of the acreage is planted to yellow storage onions, about 400 acres is planted with red onions, with an additional 300 acres planted in sweet Spanish onions. -Jan van der Heide, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oswego County, Onion World, July/August 2003, page 16.
	Ohio
	Texas
	Utah
	Washington

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