The restriction on onion exports will remain in place until the originally scheduled deadline of 31 March, as the government seeks to maintain prices low and domestic availability high, the news agency PTI reported.
On 8 December 2023, the government halted onion exports till 31 March.
“Ban on onion exports has not been lifted. It is in force and there is no change in the status,” Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said.
He stated that the government’s first aim is to guarantee that there is enough local onion available at reasonable pricing for customers.
On indications that the commodity’s export embargo will be lifted, modal wholesale onion prices in Lasalgoan, the country’s largest wholesale onion market, rose 40.62 per cent to Rs 1,800 per quintal on 19 February, up from Rs 1,280 per quintal on 17 February.
The restriction is unlikely to be repealed before the general elections, even after 31 March because rabi (winter) onion output is predicted to be lower due to decreased covering of the land, particularly in Maharasthra, it added.
Onion output is expected to reach 22.7 million tonnes during the rabi season in 2023.
In the following days, Agriculture Ministry experts will examine rabi onion coverage in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, three significant growing states.
Meanwhile, exports of onions to friendly nations are permitted on a case-by-case basis, with clearance from the inter-ministerial committee.
