GUWAHATI: The ban on the export of onions will remain in effect until its previously announced deadline of March 31, as per media reports. The decision aims to stabilise onion prices and maintain an adequate supply within the domestic market.
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Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh clarified to media that there has been no change in the status of the ban on onion exports. Despite reports suggesting a possible lifting of the export ban, modal wholesale onion prices surged by 40.62% to ₹1,800 per quintal on February 19 at Lasalgaon, the country's largest wholesale onion market, compared to ₹1,280 per quintal on February 17.
Concerns over lower rabi (winter) onion production, particularly in Maharashtra, may prolong the ban even beyond March 31, especially with general elections approaching. The 2023 rabi season recorded onion production at 22.7 million tonnes.
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Agriculture Ministry officials are set to evaluate rabi onion coverage in key growing states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat in the coming days to gauge production levels. While the ban remains in place, exports to friendly nations are permitted on a case-by-case basis, subject to approval from the inter-ministerial group.
