Gujarat dehydration plants run mainly on white onion grown in Saurashtra, and the busiest processing usually falls in the first months of the calendar year, when the late kharif and rabi crops arrive. In a typical year, fresh white onion is available from roughly the end of the year until around spring.
Exact timing changes with sowing, rainfall and temperature. Confirm the current season with your supplier before you plan a booking.
India's onion crops
India grows onion in more than one season. These are approximate windows across the country, not fixed dates.
- Kharif: sown with the monsoon and harvested roughly October to December.
- Late kharif: harvested roughly January to March.
- Rabi: harvested roughly March to May. This is the crop most often stored for later in the year.
How Mahuva plants use the crop
Dehydration needs fresh, firm, high dry matter onion, so plants process as the local white onion comes in. During the main arrival period most plants run hard and build stock of flakes. Powder and other cuts can then be milled from that stock through the year.
When fresh local supply ends, some plants slow down or stop drying, and some bring onion from further away or from storage. Quality and cost can both change outside the main window.
What this means for buyers
- New season product is usually available from the early months of the year.
- Booking before or during the main arrival period gives the widest choice of plants and grades.
- Late in the year, stock may be older and the choice narrower.
- Lead times can be shorter in season if the plant has capacity, and longer if many buyers order at once.
- Weather problems at harvest can cut volume and dry matter, which affects both yield and price.
Weather and policy
Unseasonal rain or heat at harvest can damage onion in the field and in storage. A poor monsoon affects the soil moisture for the rabi crop. The general guide on how weather and monsoon affect Indian crop prices covers this.
Fresh onion exports have been restricted in the past. For example, India banned onion exports from December 2023 and lifted the ban in May 2024 with conditions. Such measures change the fresh market that dehydration depends on. Check the current position with DGFT, and read how export bans affect supply.
Planning your year
Many regular buyers book a large part of their annual need when the new crop arrives, then call off shipments over the following months. That works best for flakes and other cuts with a long shelf life. Ask for the manufacturing date on every lot, so you know which crop you are getting.
How we help
We follow onion arrivals and plant activity around Mahuva through the season and tell you when new crop product is being dried. We can then help you book at the right time and schedule shipments across the year. Ask for a free sourcing review.