Neeraj Mohan
New Delhi, April 27
To balance domestic demand with international market opportunities, the Union Government has authorised the export of 99,150 metric tonnes (MT) of onions to six neighbouring countries — Bangladesh, UAE, Bhutan, Bahrain, Mauritius and Sri Lanka.
The decision comes against the backdrop of anticipated lower kharif and rabi crops for 2023-24 compared to previous years, coupled with increased demand in global markets. According a statement issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the facilitating the export operations is the National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), designated as the exporting agency for onions to these countries.
Utilising an e-platform, the NCEL sources domestic onions for export at competitive prices and supplies them to nominated agencies in destination countries on a 100 per cent advance payment basis. Maharashtra, being the largest producer of onions in India, serves as the primary source of onions for export facilitated by NCEL.
Additionally, the government has permitted the export of 2000 MT of white onions, specially cultivated for Middle-Eastern and select European markets. The production cost of white onions is comparatively higher due to increased seed costs, adoption of good agricultural practices (GAP) and adherence to strict maximum residue limits (MRL) requirements. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to bolster onion procurement for buffer stocks under the Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) of the Department of Consumer Affairs. A procurement target of 5 lakh tonnes from the rabi-2024 crop has been set. Central agencies such as the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF) and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) are collaborating with local agencies to support procurement, storage, and farmer registration initiatives.
Moreover, measures to minimise storage losses have been reinforced, with plans to irradiate and cold store over 5,000 MT of onions this year, a substantial increase from the previous year’s 1,200 MT. Technical assistance from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, has been enlisted to ensure the efficacy of these storage methods.
Banned in 2023
A ban was imposed on onion export in December 2023 to ensure adequate domestic availability and keep prices in check
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