Kanthalloor: Efforts to grow big onions bear fruit

Idukki: After a three-year-long trial, farmers in Kanthalloor region in Devikulam taluk, known for its winter crops, has scripted a success story in the cultivation of big onions. The effort has proved that in addition to the existing crops, onion farming can also be a viable source of livelihood for cultivators in the region.
Big onions were cultivated on a trial basis on a two-acre land under a project launched by the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) with gudinace from the university’s assistant professor Jalaja S Menon.As part of the project the farmers planted 12 varieties of onions.
An official associated with the project said that over 95% of the big onions in the farms in Kanthalloor achieved good bulb size. The average weight of the bulbs was 80-100g. “To market big onions, the bulb size needs to be good. We achieved it in the third year of trial farming,” said the official.
“Soil conditions in many villages in Kanthalloor are favourable to big onion farming. We ensured that the farmers added lime in the soil before farming,” said the official.
According to the official, transplant technology was used for the big onion farming. “Seeds were sowed in seed beds in February, and the seedlings were planted in April. Trial harvesting was done a few weeks ago,” said the official.
Kanthalloor agricultural officer Sathish K R said the experiment has proved that the Kanthalloor region is ideal for big onion farming. “Many farmers in the region have already expressed their willingness to cultivate big onions,” said Sathish.
Garlic is one of the major crops grown in Kanthalloor, and officials hope that the farmers’ efforts to cultivate big onions too in the region will bear fruit in the coming years. An official said that the rainfall pattern and climatic condition in the area showed that the period from March to July was the most favourable time for big onion farming in Kanthalloor.
Kanthalloor panchayat president P T Mohandas said onion trial farming was successful in the hills of Kanthalloor. “Along with other winter crops, big onion farming can be another source of livelihood for people in Kanthalloor. If farmers in the region are interested in big onion farming, the panchayat will provide financial assistance to them,” said Mohandas.