New Delhi:The Commerce Ministry on Sunday said that there is no ban on onion exports. After the tweet of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, Supriya Sule on Saturday on onion exports, the Commerce Ministry said that there is no ban on the export of onions and India has shipped the commodity worth USD 523.8 million during April-December 2022.
Responding to the NCP leader's tweet, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal took to his Twitter handle and wrote, "There is no ban on onion exports from India to any country and misleading statements suggesting the contrary is unfortunate. In fact, from July-December 2022, onion exports have consistently been above the $40 million mark every month, benefiting our Annadatas." Earlier, NCP leader Supriya Sule tweeted, "Both these ministries need to work together in this situation. If the Central government immediately withdraws the onion export ban and sends the country's surplus onions to the global market, the farmers here will benefit."
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It said that only the export of onion seeds is restricted and that, too, is permitted under authorisation from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade. Meanwhile, in case, needed for market intervention, the government maintained a buffer stock of 2.5 lakh metric tonnes in the financial year 2022-23. Owing to the perishable nature of the crop, and the gap between Rabi and Kharif crops, onion prices sometimes rise from September to December.
There is a huge marginal drop in onion prices in many states across the country. A rise in onion production in non-traditional states resulted in onion prices ruling at a four-year low currently. Due to higher onion production, the demand for production has slumped. The prices of produce have been lowered than the cost of production. Many states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka have higher onion production this year. The low rates of onion have left the farmers in tears.
