From July to December 2022, onion exports have persistently been above the $40 million mark each month. File picture for illustration
| Photo Credit: G. Karthikeyan
The Centre has maintained that there is no such thing as a move to ban the export of onions. Responding to a press release by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Supriya Sule that the Centre was making an attempt to ban onion exports, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal mentioned that there was no ban on onion exports from India to any nation, including that deceptive statements suggesting the opposite have been unlucky.
From July to December 2022, onion exports have persistently been above the $40 million mark each month, benefiting farmers, Mr. Goyal mentioned. In a press release, the Commerce Ministry mentioned that $523.8 million value of onions have been exported between April and December 2022.
“Government has not restricted or prohibited the export of onion. The extant export policy of onions is ‘free’. Only the export of onion seed is ‘Restricted’ and that too is permitted under Authorisation from Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT),” the assertion mentioned.
The DGFT had amended its export coverage on December 28, 2020, transferring from the ‘prohibited’ to the ‘free’ class all sorts of onions in reduce, sliced or damaged in powder kind, and for the Bangalore Rose and Krishnapuram onion varieties excluding these varieties.
