Nashik Onion Kanda Cooperative Maharashtra

Nashik in the Nashik district of Maharashtra is India onion capital, producing up to 30 percent of the country onion supply from the red and white onion farms of the Godavari basin. Nashik onion price fluctuations are a key driver of national retail food price indices and have historically triggered political crises during scarcity years. The National Cooperative Exports Limited and Maharashtra State Cooperative Marketing Federation organise buffer stock procurement and export of surplus onion to stabilise prices during glut seasons. Farmers in Nashik grow Baswant 780 and aggregator varieties on drip-irrigated plots, harvesting from October-November and April-May. Onion storage in traditional low-roofed brick curing sheds with ventilation openings extends shelf life by three to six months. Nashik is also India grape wine capital, with cooperative wineries and private estates producing Sula, York, and Grover Zampa varieties in the basalt plateau vineyards north of the city.