Where this product comes from

Dehydrated onion is one of the few commodities where a single town dominates world supply. Mahuva, in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, hosts around 120 dehydration units converting fresh bulbs into flakes, kibbled, granules and powder. Gujarat exported a record 83,452 tonnes of dehydrated white onion in FY 2023-24, a 67 percent increase and the largest rise in four years.

The concentration is not accidental. The belt combines suitable white onion varieties, a dry climate that suits dehydration, and decades of accumulated processing capability in one place.

RNG Agro Exports is based at Rajkot in Gujarat, within the same state as the Mahuva belt and a short drive from it. For this product, that proximity means fewer intermediaries between the dehydration line and the container, and direct visibility of which unit produced a lot.

Cut size: the specification that makes an enquiry quotable

Dehydrated onion and garlic are sold by cut size, running from coarse to fine. The trade names are widely used but not consistently defined between suppliers.

State the sieve or mesh range alongside the trade name, and state your tolerance for fines. “Chopped onion” means different things at different plants; a sieve specification does not. Fines matter because they disperse and brown differently from larger pieces in a seasoning blend, and because a lot heavy in fines will behave differently in your line than the sample you approved.

White, pink and red

White onion is the export standard — pale colour, clean appearance and the profile most seasoning applications are built around. Pink and red dehydrated onion are supplied where the finished product wants the colour or a different flavour profile. They are separate purchases; specify which you want rather than assuming.

Rehydration ratio: the number that determines your real cost

This is the most useful line in a dehydrated vegetable specification and the one most often left out.

Dehydrated onion reconstitutes at roughly five to six times its weight in water. One kilogram of dehydrated product therefore replaces several kilograms of fresh onion in a formulation. That ratio, together with residual pungency, determines how much you actually need — and two offers that look close on price per kilogram can differ materially once both are taken into account.

Compare offers on cost per kilogram of fresh equivalent delivered into your recipe, not on the headline price of the dried product. A cheaper lot with weaker pungency and a poorer rehydration ratio can cost you more in use. Ask for the rehydration ratio and a pungency indication, and run a trial in your own formulation before contracting volume — the arithmetic is straightforward once you have both numbers, and almost nobody does it.

Salmonella: the control point

Dehydrated onion and garlic are low-moisture ingredients that are frequently added to foods receiving no further kill step. That places them in the same risk category as spices and botanical powders, and it has produced recalls internationally.

Specify Salmonella absent in 25 g together with total plate count, yeast and mould, and E. coli against your own limits. Then ask the question behind the numbers: what is the kill step, and where does it sit in the line? A validated reduction step before final packing is a materially different risk position from end-product testing alone.

On method, the rule is the same as for spices. Ethylene oxide is not approved for food use in the European Union, where the residue limit expressed as the sum of ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol is 0.05 mg/kg under Regulation (EC) No 396/2005. Steam is the route for EU-bound cargo. Confirm what your destination accepts before contracting.

Sulphites: declare or exclude

Some dehydrated vegetables are treated with sulphur compounds to protect colour. Sulphur dioxide is a declared allergen in the European Union above the regulatory threshold, and undeclared sulphites are a recognised cause of recalls.

Specify one of two positions explicitly: sulphite-free, or a named treatment at a named maximum level. Require the SO₂ result with the detection limit stated on every lot, not once at supplier approval.

Garlic: the China question, answered plainly

China is the dominant world origin for dehydrated garlic, by a wide margin, and generally the cheapest. There is no point pretending otherwise.

The Indian case for garlic rests on something else: buyers who need a non-Chinese origin — whether for supply chain diversification, customer requirement, tariff position or traceability policy — and who need that origin to be documented rather than asserted. India has genuine dehydration capacity in garlic, roughly 40,000 tonnes a year, and can supply that requirement.

If you are sourcing Indian garlic specifically to avoid Chinese origin, make origin a named contract document with supporting traceability, not a verbal assurance. That is the whole point of the purchase, and it should be the first thing you put in writing.

Reference specification

Season and capacity

Dehydration follows the onion crop, and processing capacity in the Mahuva belt is concentrated in the months after harvest rather than spread evenly through the year. Lines run hard in season and availability tightens later.

For an annual requirement, contract in or close to the processing season rather than buying spot late in the year. This is a capacity-constrained product, not a warehouse commodity, and buyers who contract early get both better availability and a clearer view of which lots they are getting.

Documentation

• APEDA registration and FSSAI licence; processing facility certifications — food safety management scheme, halal and kosher where your market requires
• Certificate of analysis: cut size or sieve analysis, moisture, colour reference, scorched pieces, fines, rehydration ratio, ash, bulk density, with methods and test date
• Microbiological report: Salmonella in 25 g, total plate count, yeast and mould, E. coli
• Sulphur dioxide result with detection limit, or a sulphite-free declaration
• Pesticide residue report against the destination list, including ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol for EU consignments
• Sterilisation record naming the method, with validation data for steam
• Heavy metals and allergen statements; origin declaration where your specification requires it
• Phytosanitary certificate and certificate of origin
• Commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading — HS 0712.20 for dried onions and HS 0712.90 for dried garlic; confirm the eight-digit national sub-heading with your broker

Packing and container economics

These are light, bulky products. A container fills by volume well before it approaches any weight limit, which makes packing format and compaction a genuine cost lever rather than a detail.

How to qualify an Indian dehydrated onion supplier

1. State cut size as a sieve range, not just a trade name, before discussing price.
2. Ask for the rehydration ratio and a pungency indication, and do the fresh-equivalent arithmetic yourself.
3. Ask what the microbiological kill step is and where it sits in the line.
4. Ask for the SO₂ result with detection limit from a recent lot, or a sulphite-free declaration.
5. Establish whether the counterparty operates its own dehydration line or trades and repacks.
6. For garlic bought specifically as non-Chinese origin, make origin a named contract document with traceability.
7. Run a trial quantity through your own formulation and line before committing to volume.

Frequently asked questions

What cut sizes are available?

Kibbled or flakes, chopped, minced, granules and powder. Because the words are used differently between suppliers, always state the sieve or mesh range and your tolerance for fines.

Why does rehydration ratio matter?

It determines your real cost. Dehydrated onion reconstitutes at roughly five to six times its weight, so compare offers on cost per kilogram of fresh equivalent in your recipe, not on the dried price.

What is the main safety control?

Salmonella. Specify absent in 25 g with the full microbiological panel, and ask what the kill step is and where it sits in the line.

Are sulphites used?

Sometimes, to protect colour. Specify sulphite-free or a named treatment at a named level, and require the SO₂ result with detection limit on every lot.

Why buy Indian garlic rather than Chinese?

China dominates on volume and price. Indian origin serves buyers who need a documented non-Chinese source for diversification, customer requirement or traceability policy — in which case make origin a named contract document.

How much loads into a container?

Around 14 to 15 MT in a 20-foot and 25 to 26 MT in a 40-foot. These are volume-limited products, so freight per tonne is high.

What are the HS codes?

HS 0712.20 for dried onions and HS 0712.90 for dried garlic. Confirm the eight-digit national sub-heading with your broker.

• Kibbled or flakes, chopped, minced, granules and powder. Because the words are used differently between suppliers, always state the sieve or mesh range and your tolerance for fines.
• It determines your real cost. Dehydrated onion reconstitutes at roughly five to six times its weight, so compare offers on cost per kilogram of fresh equivalent in your recipe, not on the dried price.
• Salmonella. Specify absent in 25 g with the full microbiological panel, and ask what the kill step is and where it sits in the line.
• Sometimes, to protect colour. Specify sulphite-free or a named treatment at a named level, and require the SO₂ result with detection limit on every lot.

RNG Agro Exports is based at Rajkot in Gujarat, within the same state as the Mahuva belt and a short drive from it. For this product, that proximity means fewer intermediaries between the dehydration line and the container, and direct visibility of which unit produced a lot.