Center has banned onion exports till March next year to control domestic prices

The government had earlier imposed a minimum export price of $800 per tonne until December 31, 2023 to discourage exports in a bid to curb rising prices.

New Delhi: In a bid to ensure adequate domestic availability and stabilize prices, the Indian government has imposed a ban on onion exports until March 2024. The move comes amid concerns over rising onion prices in the domestic market, which are attributed to factors such as unusual rainfall. and supply chain disruptions. However, the DGFT said that export of onions will be allowed based on permission granted by the government to other countries based on their request, according to a report by news agency IANS.

“The export policy for onions will be changed from free to prohibited until March 31, 2024,” the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGTF) said in a notification. The notification added that consignments of onions, the loading of which had started before this notification, may be exported.

In cases where a bill of lading has been filed and ships have already berthed and anchored at Indian ports for loading of onions and their rotation number has been allotted before this notification, that shipment will also be allowed for export.

The government had earlier imposed a minimum export price of $800 per tonne until December 31, 2023 to discourage exports in a bid to curb rising prices.