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In this section you will find detailed information, including national overviews and state and regional level assessments, from the 2000-2002 National Land and Water Resources Audit theme assessments.
Agriculture - National Horticulture Industry Profiles - Onions, leeks and garlic
Onions, leeks and garlic
Onions, leeks and garlic had a gross value of production in 1996/97 of $108 m, about 3% of the total gross value of Australian horticultural production. Onions are the major crop, representing about 90% of the total value for this crop group.
Major producing areas
Onions are grown on a variety of soils, from alkaline sands to cracking clays to volcanic clay loams. South Australia and Tasmania are the main production areas. Irrigation is critical to good yields and—with the exception of black cracking clays—is mainly by overhead sprinklers.
Crops produced
| Crop 1996/97 |
Area (ha) |
Production (t) |
Value ($m) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garlic | 40 | 270 | 1.9 | |
| Leeks | 310 | 4 670 | 7.8 | |
| Onions (seed) | 120 | 60 | 0.6 | |
| Onions (spring) | 410 | 3 570 | 6.1 | |
| Onions (white & brown) | 4 760 | 196 500 | 91.5 | |
| Total | 5 630 | 205 070 | 107.7 | |
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Major production regions
| Region | Agro-ecological region | Area (ha) |
Production (t) |
Value ($m) |
% of total crop area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnie-Devonport, Tas | Wet temperate coasts | 580 | 29 610 | 8.3 | 10 |
| Lockyer Valley, Qld | Subtropical slopes & plains/ wet subtropical coast | 400 | 12 910 | 7.8 | 7 |
| Riverina, NSW | Temperate slopes & plains | 390 | 9 180 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Murray Mallee, SA | Temperate slopes & plains | 340 | 20 200 | 12.9 | 6 |
| Gippsland, Vic | Wet temperate coasts | 210 | 2 940 | 4.3 | 4 |
| Central Murray, SA | Temperate slopes & plains | 200 | 1 000 | 0.4 | 4 |
| Werribee, Vic | Wet temperate coasts | 120 | 4 530 | 1.7 | 2 |
| Riverland, SA | Temperate slopes & plains | 120 | 5 010 | 3.3 | 2 |
| Preston, WA | Wet temperate coasts | 120 | 7 180 | 3.1 | 2 |
| Lower South East, SA | Wet temperate coasts | 120 | 3 800 | 2.4 | 2 |
 |
Production, production trends and exportsWhile onion production was steady between 1994/95 and 1996/97, onion exports fell substantially in the same period. Germany was Australia’s largest onion export market in 1996, taking 20% of all onion exports. However, Australian onions accounted for only 3% of total German onion imports in that year. Tasmania and South Australia are the largest onion-exporting States. |
Industry contact
Australian Onion Industry Association: PO Box 1459, Murray Bridge, South Australia 5253; telephone: (08) 8531 1577
Production and value data sources
Horticultural Research and Development Corporation 2000, Horticultural Productivity and Sustainability Project
Australian Bureau of Statistics 1996, AgStats 1996-97
National Land and Water Resources Audit 2000, non-agricultural land mask from 1:1 000 000 Landuse in Australia
Agriculture Fisheries Forestry - Australia 1996, Agro-ecological Regions of Australia
Horticultural Research and Development Corporation, Australian Horticultural Corporation, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics 2000, Australian Horticulture in the Global Environment
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