The Indian government has eased exports of onions to Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates, a senior official of the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry said on Thursday.

A notification issued by the country’s Directorate-General of Foreign Trade on Monday stated that onion exports would be carried out through the National Cooperative Exports Limited.

The notification said the government permitted the exports of an additional 10,000 tonnes of onions to the UAE (above 24,400 tonnes already allowed) and 10,000 tonnes to Sri Lanka.

The government’s decision to ease exports to Sri Lanka and the UAE assumed significance in the aftermath of the ban on exports of the commodity till last month in a bid to check prices in domestic markets.

Currently, onions are sold between 35 and 40 Indian Rupees (41 and 47 U.S. cents) per kilogramme in retail markets across India.

In October-November 2023, the price of the commodity skyrocketed to around 70-80 Indian Rupees per kilogramme.

Thereafter, in December 2023, the Indian government put onion exports under prohibition till March 31, 2024, to ensure availability and check rising prices. 

(Xinhua/NAN)