The Centre has banned the export of all varieties of onion with immediate effect to check their increasing prices in the country. The Commerce Ministry has amended its export policy putting onion under prohibitory category till further orders.
Earlier, the Centre had sent a team of two Joint Secretary-level officers to Maharashtra to talk to farmers, traders and transporters to assess availability of onions and persuade them to bring more onions to the market. The Centre is also sending onions to States on their demand.
Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan had asserted that the demand for any quantity will be fulfilled immediately.
Onion prices continue to rise across metros in India with rates touching Rs 80 per kg in some places. The crunch in onion supply has sent prices soaring with many places seeing an increase of nearly Rs 30-40 per kg. Poor supply has pushed wholesale onion prices to a four-year high.
On Tuesday morning, onion prices continued their upward descent with the kitchen staple being sold for Rs 75-80 per kg in Mumbai and Delhi in retail markets. In Bengaluru, Chennai and Dehradun prices touched Rs 60 per kg whereas in Hyderabad retailers were selling onions for Rs 41-46
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