Abstract:
Onion is one of the rare vegetables that are used in the kitchens of both the rich and poor families in the world
regardless of the income level. In addition to containing many vitamin and mineral substances that are important for
human nutrition, it is also a medical plant the use of which is known since the beginning of human history. Turkey
holds an important spot in the world with regard to onion production and production area. The objective of this study
was to examine dry onion production and foreign trade in Turkey and in the world during the 1996-2013 period.
Whereas world dry onion production was 44. 8 million tons during the 1996-2000 period, it increased by 1.9 times thus
reaching 84.8 million tons. India showed the greatest development during the same period with an increase of 4.3 times,
whereas a decrease of 13% took place in the production of dry onion in Turkey. China is ranked first in the world with
regard to dry onion production with a share of 26.35%, whereas India is ranked second with a share of 22.76% and
Turkey is ranked number six with a share of 2.25%. When dry onion yield is examined, it can be seen that the world
average is 21.07 ton/ha, that Ireland is ranked first with an average of 68.75 tons/ha, that South Korea is ranked second
with 64.58 tons/ha and that Turkey is ranked number 11 with a share of 29.86 tons/ha. Whereas world dry onion export
was 3.4 million tons during 1996-2000 period, it increased by two times thus reaching 7 million tons in 2013. India is
ranked first in the world in dry onion export with a share of about 21.06%, the Netherlands is ranked second with a
share of 17.43% and China is ranked third with a share of 10.64%. Whereas Turkey is ranked number 10 in the world
with a dry onion export share of about 2.25%. About 52% of Turkish dry onion export is made to Iraq. When world dry
onion import is examined, it can be observed that the top five countries are Malaysia (6.71%), the USA (6.38%),
England (6.34%), Bangladesh (5.26%) and Japan (4.41%). Main problems in the dry onion sector of Turkey are that the
manufacturers are not organized sufficiently and that there is no production plan.
