Wholesale and foodservice across the Gulf and Southeast Asia
The red bulb is the everyday onion in these markets: full-container programmes in mesh bags, two weeks from Pipavav.
FRESH · SIZE-GRADED · MESH BAGS
Fresh Red Onion for Export, 25-80 mm
Fresh red onion from India is the reference onion of the subcontinent, the Gulf and much of Southeast Asia: deep red-purple skin, pale flesh with purple-edged rings, firmly pungent with a sweet finish. Three harvests a year make it available almost continuously - and make its price move fast.
KlarHarvest ships it cured, size-graded to your band and packed in mesh or jute bags, in ventilated or reefer containers from Pipavav and Mundra - FCL, with a loading video and the phytosanitary certificate for every shipment.
- Sourced from BRC-certified units
- NABL-accredited lab testing
- Low minimums · LCL welcome
- Lab report per lot
The range
Fresh Red Onion Grade Bands, To Scale
Same onion, same line, same lot documentation - a different bulb size.
- Small25-40 mm
- Medium40-60 mm
- Medium-large50-70 mm
- Large60-80 mm
- Extra large70 mm+
Grade bands are screened to order; about 5 % of bulbs fall outside the stated band.
The product
What Is Fresh Red Onion?
What the product is, why the grade band matters, and what it means for the price per kilo.
Fresh red onion is Allium cepa with a deep red-purple papery skin and pale flesh whose rings are edged in purple. India grows it in three seasons - the storable rabi crop harvested February to April, the kharif crop from October to December and the late kharif in January and February - in Gujarat and in Maharashtra's Nashik belt, which is why Indian red onion can be exported for most of the calendar.
Buyers choose fresh red onion where the onion should be tasted and seen: wholesale and foodservice across the Gulf and Southeast Asia, retail nets and loose display, processors buying by the bulb. It is sold by diameter in bands from 25-40 mm to 70 mm and above, one band per lot, and ships FCL only, about 12-14 t in a 20 ft ventilated container.
Overview
Fresh Red Onion: Product Overview
KlarHarvest fresh red onion comes from growers in Gujarat and, in the kharif seasons, from the Nashik belt of Maharashtra, field-cured and held in ventilated sheds. Bulbs are topped, cleaned, screened to your grade band and packed in 5-25 kg mesh bags, plain or with your label, and every bag is counted and weighed before the container is sealed. Colour depth varies by variety and season, so we quote a colour range and send photographs of the current crop with the offer.
We export the belt's red onion in both forms, which changes how we sell the fresh one: colour depth is quoted as a range with photographs of the current crop, the season is named in the offer, and the contract says what happens if India changes an export measure between confirmation and loading. FOB, CFR or CIF, with the grade band, packing and freight in one quotation, inside one business day.
In numbers
Fresh Red Onion at a Glance
3
Harvests a year
Rabi, kharif, late kharif
5
Grade bands
25-40 mm to 70 mm+
~5%
Band tolerance
Bulbs outside the stated band
12-14t
Per 20 ft container
FCL only, ventilated
Growing and packing
How Fresh Red Onion Is Grown, Cured and Packed
Eight steps from the field to a strapped pallet in a ventilated container. Where a defect can enter the product, the step says so.
Three growing seasons
Red onion is sown for the rabi crop in November-December and lifted February to April; the kharif crop goes in with the monsoon and comes out October to December; the late kharif is lifted in January and February. Bulbs are pulled when the tops fall.
Field curing
Windrowed for several days under their own tops until necks tighten and skins set. Rabi onion cures hardest; kharif onion is lifted into a wetter season and cures less, which is why it moves best on short sailings.
Shed storage
Cured rabi bulbs keep for months in ventilated sheds and ship until about November; kharif onion is stored for weeks, not months.
Topping and cleaning
Tops and roots trimmed, loose skin and soil brushed off, without stripping the coloured outer skin the buyer pays for.
Screening
A screening deck sorts the bulbs into their diameter band; sprouted, split, double and damaged bulbs are picked off by hand, and the colour of the run is photographed for the offer.
Bagging
Mesh bags filled to net weight - red mesh for red onion by convention - sewn or clipped and labelled with grade, lot and your mark.
Loading
Palletised and strapped or stowed loose, counted, weighed and filmed into a ventilated or reefer container at our premises.
Release
Phytosanitary inspection, export documents, customs seal, seal number into your order record - then the truck leaves for Pipavav or Mundra.
Data sheet
Fresh Red Onion Specification
One band per lot, screened to order, with the tolerance counted per bag - the export standard for this onion.
The specification for KlarHarvest fresh red onion below is the standard export band. It is written into every quotation and confirmed on the packing list, bag by bag, before the container is sealed.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Raw material | Fresh red onion (Allium cepa L.), Gujarat and Maharashtra, India |
| Skin / flesh | Deep red-purple papery skin; pale flesh, purple-edged rings |
| Grades | 25-40 · 40-60 · 50-70 · 60-80 · 70 mm+ - one band per lot |
| Tolerance | approx. 5 % of bulbs outside the stated band |
| Condition | Field-cured, necks and roots trimmed, single-centre, dry skin, no sprouting |
| Packing | 5 / 10 / 20 / 25 kg mesh (net) bags; jute on request · private label |
| Container (est.) | ~12-14 t / 20 ft · ~26-28 t / 40 ft, ventilated |
| Transit | Ventilated dry container; reefer 0-2 °C on long or warm-season sailings |
| Season | Rabi Feb-Apr (storable) · kharif Oct-Dec · late kharif Jan-Feb |
| Shipping terms | FCL only - FOB, CFR or CIF |
| HS code | 0703 10 |
Grade bands, packing and the seasonal window are confirmed in every quotation; a narrower band is quoted against the crop in hand.
Grade bands
Fresh Red Onion Grade Bands and Tolerances
Bulb diameter as a screened band and the tolerances that go with it - what a fresh onion grade actually promises.
Fresh red onion is bought by diameter and by colour, but only the diameter is a screened band with a tolerance. About 5 % of bulbs outside the stated band is the normal export allowance; a tighter band leaves more of the crop behind and costs accordingly. Colour is quoted separately, as a range.
-
Small
pickling grade
mm25-40
Firm, single-centre bulbs, dry papery skin
Pickling, whole-onion canning
-
Medium
export grade
mm40-60
The volume grade: uniform bulbs, dry neck, clean skin
Foodservice, wholesale, retail nets
-
Medium-large
mm50-70
Fuller bulbs, uniform skin colour
Foodservice, cut-and-pack, retail
-
Large
mm60-80
Big single bulbs, firm, well cured
Retail loose display, processors buying by the bulb
-
Extra large
mm70+
Widest bulbs of the crop; screened to order
Ring cutting, slicing lines
Defect limits · per 100 g on the sorted product
- ≤ 5 %Bulbs outside the stated band, by count
- ≤ 1 %Sprouted or rooted bulbs
- ≤ 2 %Mechanical damage or bruising
- ≤ 3 %Doubles and misshapen bulbs
A tighter band or tolerance for fresh red onion is quoted against the crop of the season and confirmed on the packing list; colour is agreed as a range with crop photographs.
Applications
Fresh Red Onion Applications and Industries Served
The uses this variety is specified for most often. Tell us yours and we will say whether it is the right one.
Retail nets and loose display
Cured, sound bulbs graded by diameter for nets and loose display, with the deep red skin buyers there expect.
Processors buying by the bulb
Paste, curry-base and pickle lines buy fresh red onion by the container when the recipe needs fresh onion, not dried.
Pickling and whole-onion packing (25-40 mm)
The small band goes whole into pickles and cans; the red skin colours the brine the way the product expects.
Salads, garnishes and raw use
Sliced raw on salads, kebabs and flatbreads for colour and a sharper bite than the white bulb.
Catering and kebab kitchens
Kitchens that cut daily take the mid band; a uniform diameter gives even rings and slices with less waste.
Packaging & export
Packaging and Export Logistics for Fresh Red Onion
Fresh red onion is the most traded fresh onion out of India and the most price-sensitive, so the packing instruction is about arrival condition and about which crop is in the box. This is how it ships.
25kg
Per mesh bag
5, 10 and 20 kg on request
40
Bags per pallet
1,000 kg net; loose stow on request
12-14t
Per 20 ft ventilated
Bags counted and weighed
26-28t
Per 40 ft
Reefer 0-2 C on long sailings
How a lot ships
From the Packhouse to Your Port
Bag, pallet, container, protection, route and documents - the things a packing instruction has to say.
- Bag 5, 10, 20 or 25 kg red mesh bags; jute on request; plain or printed with your label.
- Pallet 40 x 25 kg bags on a pallet, 1,000 kg net, strapped and corner-boarded; loose stowage on request - the usual choice for Gulf and Southeast Asian wholesale.
- Container About 12-14 t net in a 20 ft ventilated container, 26-28 t in a 40 ft. Kharif onion goes on the short sailings, the rabi crop tolerates the long ones.
- Ventilation and temperature Ventilated containers on sailings up to about three weeks; reefer at 0-2 °C with fresh-air exchange on longer or warm-season sailings.
- Inspection Bags counted and weighed, the lot photographed for colour, a sample cut for the phytosanitary inspector before sealing.
- Route and transit Pipavav or Mundra; about two weeks to the Gulf, two to three to Southeast Asia, four to five to Europe.
- Documents Invoice, packing list with counts and weights, certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate from India's NPPO, fumigation certificate where required, bill of lading with container and seal numbers - drafts before sailing.
Export markets
Fresh Red Onion Export Markets
The same lot, a different document set. Where our containers go and what each destination asks for.
Gulf states
The largest market for Indian red onion: two weeks from Pipavav, loose-stowed or palletised, Arabic labelling on request and a phytosanitary certificate for every port. Jebel Ali, Dammam, Sohar.
Exporting to the GulfSoutheast Asia
Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Sri Lanka buy red onion year-round from this corridor; ventilated on the short sailings, reefer on the longer ones.
Exporting to Southeast AsiaGermany and the EU
Customs code 0703 10, TRACES entry, phytosanitary certificate to EU requirements; reefer recommended for the four-to-five-week sailing. Hamburg, Rotterdam, Antwerp.
Exporting to GermanyUnited Kingdom
UK Global Tariff line 0703 10, IPAFFS pre-notification and the phytosanitary certificate; Felixstowe and Southampton.
Exporting to the UKUnited States and Canada
Subject to the season's USDA APHIS and CFIA import conditions for Indian onion, confirmed before you commit.
Exporting to the USA and CanadaOther markets
Tell us the port; the quotation states the plant-health requirements, the document set and the lead time for fresh red onion.
Ask about your marketQuality
Quality and Certifications for Fresh Red Onion
What is certified, what is tested, and what is still in process - stated as it is today.
Curing before anything else
Every lot of fresh red onion is cured until necks are tight and skins set - and we say which crop it is, because kharif and rabi onion do not keep the same way.
Phytosanitary inspection per shipment
Certified by India's National Plant Protection Organisation against the importing country's requirements before the container is sealed.
Residue testing on request
Pesticide residue analysis per EU Regulation 396/2005 by an NABL-accredited laboratory where your market or customer requires it.
Traceability
Lot code on every bag - growing region, harvest, packhouse - with the loading photographs and video in the same record.
Inspection at loading
Counted, weighed, photographed for colour, sample cut, seal number recorded - at our premises.
Registrations
APEDA registration and FSSAI licence in process; numbers published here the day they are issued.
Why KlarHarvest
Why Buy Fresh Red Onion from KlarHarvest
Six things you can check before the first order, not after.
A straight answer on the crop
Which crop is in the box, what colour it runs, what band it screens to - before the contract, not after the claim.
A complete quote in one business day
Grade, colour range, price, freight and season window in one document.
Price validity that says what it means
Red onion is the variety India's export measures hit first; our quotes carry a short validity and the contract states what happens if a measure lands after confirmation.
Loading video and tracking
Bags counted into the container on video, the seal number, the box followed to your port.
One contact for both forms
The same exporter dries this red onion into five cuts; one audit and one contact for a fresh-plus-dehydrated programme.
A client portal per order
Crop photographs, loading video, status and every document behind one link.
Documentation
Two Things We State Before You Order Fresh Red Onion
Colour depth varies by variety and season - specify an acceptable range rather than a fixed shade, and ask for photographs of the current crop. And India manages onion exports actively: minimum export prices, duties and occasional restrictions at short notice hit red onion hardest. Our quotes carry a short validity and the contract says in advance what happens if a measure lands between confirmation and loading.
FAQ
Fresh Red Onion - Frequently Asked Questions
What buyers ask about this variety before the first order. Anything not covered here, send us the question - you have an answer within one business day.
When is fresh red onion available from India?
Almost all year: rabi harvest February to April ships from cured storage until about November; kharif October to January; late kharif January to March. We confirm the crop and the window in every quotation.
Which crop travels best?
The rabi crop - it is cured for storage and tolerates the long sailings to Europe. Kharif onion has a shorter storage life and moves best on the two-week sailings to the Gulf and Southeast Asia.
Can you guarantee the colour?
We quote a colour range and send photographs of the current crop with the offer. Pigment depth varies by variety and season; a range holds lot after lot, a fixed shade does not.
Do you ship fresh red onion LCL?
No. A living cargo needs its own ventilation setting, so fresh onion ships FCL only - about 12-14 t in a 20 ft ventilated container.
What happens if India restricts onion exports after I order?
The contract says so in advance: what is refunded, what is shipped at the new duty, and who decides. Our quotes carry a short validity for the same reason.
Which grade band should I order?
40-60 mm is the volume grade for the Gulf and Southeast Asian wholesale trade; 50-70 for foodservice; 60 mm and above for slicing lines. Tell us the end use and we say which band the current crop screens best.
Is fresh red onion available dehydrated as well?
Yes - the same variety, dried at BRC-certified plants in the same belt, in five cuts from flakes to powder. See the dehydrated red onion range.
Same category
Other Fresh Onion Varieties We Export
Same growing belt, same curing and grading standard - a different variety.
FRESH · SIZE-GRADED · MESH BAGS
Fresh White Onion
Fresh white onions for markets preferring mild flavour and white skin. Size-graded and containerised to order, seasonal availability confirmed at inquiry.
View details for fresh white onion
FRESH · SIZE-GRADED · MESH BAGS
Fresh Pink Onion
Light pink-skinned onions with a milder profile - preferred in Gulf and Southeast Asian markets. Size-graded and cured, seasonal windows confirmed at inquiry.
View details for fresh pink onionThe same onion, dehydrated
Fresh Red Onion, Dehydrated: Five Cut Sizes
The variety you buy fresh, dried at BRC-certified plants in the same belt - the skin colour carries through every cut.
FLAKES · 8-20 MM
Red Onion Flakes (Kibbled)
Pink-red dried pieces with a sharper flavour profile - preferred where colour should be visible in the final dish.
View details for red onion flakes (kibbled)
CHOPPED · 3-5 MM
Red Onion Chopped
Red onion pieces for ethnic cuisine ranges, chutneys, curry bases and dry mixes.
View details for red onion chopped
MINCED · 1-3 MM
Red Onion Minced
Fine cut combining red onion colour with quick rehydration for pastes and sauces.
View details for red onion minced
GRANULES · 0.5-1 MM
Red Onion Granules
Free-flowing granules for blends where red onion character is specified.
View details for red onion granules
POWDER · 100 MESH
Red Onion Powder
Fine red onion powder for seasonings, snack coatings and ready-mix formulations.
View details for red onion powder
CUSTOM · 8-20 MM TO 100 MESH
Need a custom mesh or cut?
We run every cut from 8-20 mm flakes down to 100 mesh powder, and match granulation to your specification at order stage.
Ask usStart here
Get a Dehydrated Onion Quote Within One Business Day
Product, cut size, quantity, destination port - that's all we need to start. You'll receive a written quotation with full specifications from a dehydrated onion exporter, not a one-line price.
info@klarharvest.com · WhatsApp +91 97371 01599 · Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India