Government bans export of onions and farmers protest it | Fusion - WeRIndia

To control the prices of onions and ensure their availability in domestic markets, the central government banned the export of all varieties of onions with immediate effect.

Onions are selling at ₹40 per kg in Delhi. In Mumbai, the price of onions is around ₹35 per kg.  The price of onion in Lasalgaon onion market in Maharashtra is ₹3,200 per quintal. Lasalgaon market is the largest wholesale market for onions in Asia.

While the best quality onions are sold ₹2,800 per quintal, the lowest quality onions are available at ₹1,100 per quintal.

The wholesale price inflation is negative with (-) 34.48 per cent in August. Hence, the government wants to control the prices or else they will soar.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued a notification on Monday stating that the export of all varieties of onions has been prohibited effective immediately.

However, the notification will not apply to the provisions under the transitional arrangement.

The DGFT deals with imports and exports-related issues.

India is the world’s biggest exporter of onions. Maharashtra is the largest onion producing state in the country, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. Other major onion producing states are Bihar and Gujarat.

Even though 40 per cent of the total onion crop in the country is produced in the Kharif season, it cannot be stored. And the remaining is produced during the rabi season.

As soon as the government announced the ban on the export of all varieties of onions, farmers in Maharashtra started protesting against it.

Several farmers from various areas including Nashik, Lasalgaon etc. across the state came out on the streets demanding to lift the ban on the export of onions.

Many traders in Lasalgaon closed the onion market to protest against the ban. To get a new crop of onions, the country has to wait for three more months as it will be available in January.

Normally, onions are supplied from parts of Karnataka and Bengaluru during this period. However, the crop has been damaged due to continuous rains.

Image by Couleur from Pixabay

Image Reference: https://pixabay.com/photos/onions-vegetables-food-healthy-1397037/