Indian has cut the minimum export price for onions by 40 percent against the backdrop of increased domestic supplies of the produce.
Published : 22 Aug 2014, 08:46 PM
According to a circular sent to Indian ports, the cabinet on Thursday slashed the price to $300 per tonne from $500.
A Reuters report said India had raised the minimum export price for onions twice in the past three months to augment domestic supplies and rein in the commodity’s soaring prices.
It first increased the per-tonne price to $300 from $150 in mid-June amid fears of a fall in production, and again to $500 in July.
India’s Telecom and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters that exports would now be possible at $300 per tonne.
He said the review was prompted by an improvement in domestic supplies and a moderation in prices.
Reuters said Indians consume about 15 million tonnes of onions a year, using them as the base for curries and traditional dishes such as ‘biryani’ and ‘bhaji’.
The South Asian nation exports about 1.5 million tonnes of the produce a year.
One of the main export markets of Indian onions is Bangladesh, where prices of the item rose sharply due to its rising cost in India.
At present a kg of onions is selling at Tk 45-48 in Dhaka against Tk 30-35 a month back.
A statement of the National Agriculture Co-operative Marketing Federation of India said the new export price would come into force from Saturday.
India’s Petrapole Port Clearing and Forwarding Staff Welfare Association General Secretary Kartik Chakrabarty said Delhi’s instruction on the onion price cut had already reached the Petrapole LC station.
Tuhin Saha, Manager of Ahmed Enterprise, an importer in Jessore, told bdnews24.com that the import price of Indian onions would stand at Tk 24-25 per kg due to Delhi’s decision.