SOWING SEEDS OF SUSTAINABILITY – CREATING THE MOST EFFICIENT ONION IN THE WORLD

As a highly water-intensive crop, onions require large quantities for irrigation in the field, which in drought-prone regions in particular, like California, is far from sustainable.

Since 1943, Olam Spices’ onion breeding programme, has achieved significant increases in solid onion content, with reductions in energy use and waste. 

The team have developed proprietary seed to produce onions with more dry matter to boost yield and reduce the amount of land, water, fertiliser and pesticides needed per hectare. This combination of superior seed, expertise and reduced inputs provides our farmers with a high yielding and virtually risk-free crop, while reducing our environmental footprint. 

Extending beyond the farmgate, environmental efficiencies have also resulted from faster processing and more streamlined logistics. With onions dried on the field, less energy and water is required for processing and fewer trucks for transportation.

Over the past 10 years we have seen an estimated reduction of: