Onion Harvested Area by Country

This chart shows Onion Harvested Area by Country.

The onion also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable and is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium.This genus also contains several other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion, the tree onion and the Canada onion.

The onion plant has a fan of hollow, bluish-green leaves and the bulb at the base of the plant begins to swell when a certain day-length is reached. In the autumn, the foliage dies down and the outer layers of the bulb become dry and brittle. The crop is harvested and dried and the onions are ready for use or storage.

The crop is prone to attack by a number of pests and diseases, particularly the onion fly, the onion eelworm, and various fungi cause rotting. Some varieties of A. cepa, such as shallots and potato onions, produce multiple bulbs.

Onions are cultivated and used around the world. As a food item, they are usually served cooked, as a vegetable or part of a prepared savoury dish, but can also be eaten raw or used to make pickles or chutneys. They are pungent when chopped and contain certain chemical substances which irritate the eyes.