DOGR: Much more than a repository

The Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research (DOGR),a national research institute,was established in 1998 by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Located in Rajgurunagar,about 40 km from Pune,it was established keeping in mind that India is the second largest producer of onions and garlic in the world. The institute focuses on collecting,maintaining and acting […]

The Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research (DOGR),a national research institute,was established in 1998 by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Located in Rajgurunagar,about 40 km from Pune,it was established keeping in mind that India is the second largest producer of onions and garlic in the world.

The institute focuses on collecting,maintaining and acting as a national repository for onion and garlic germplasm,developing hybrids/varieties suitable for domestic as well as export market coupled with resistance to stress situations,acting as national trainers training centre for onion and garlic,among many other areas of focus. The institute is also focussing on the development of yellow onions that are most sought-after in the European markets.

K E Lawande,director of DOGR,said: Europe gets its supply of yellow onions from New Zealand,Tasmania and South Africa. But there is a supply gap from February to May,while the Indian climate is favourable to onions as its harvest time is February. Also,we have the geographic advantage of being located closer to Europe. So if farmers go for yellow onions,it can open up a vast market for India.

The Centre has recommended Mercedes,Couger,Linda Vista varieties/hybrids of the yellow onion to be grown from September to February. The trials conducted with drip irrigation indicated the yield potential up to 50 tonnes per hectare as against the national average of 13 tonnes per hectare. The technology has been transferred to farmers in Pune and Nashik. A trial consignment sent to Germany through private traders got a good response.

Among the various ongoing projects at the institute,the prime areas of focus are development of variants suitable for processing,coming up with disease-resistant varieties and reduction of post-harvest losses by improving storage facilities.

With a requirement of about 40-50 lakh tonnes of stored stock for the domestic markets across the nation,Lawande feels policy-makers need to take up massive programmes and take these to farmers at the grassroot level.

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Indian Council of Agricultural Research