Govt permits 4,750 tonnes of onion exports to Bhutan, Bahrain, Mauritius

The government on Wednesday permitted exports of 4,750 tonnes of onion to Bhutan, Bahrain, and Mauritius through the National Cooperative Exports Ltd (NCEL).

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a notification said that while export of 550 tonnes of onion is permitted to Bhutan; 3,000 tonnes to Bahrain, and 1,200 tonnes to Mauritius.

"Exports of onions" to these three countries "through NCEL is notified," it said.

Last week, India allowed exports of 64,400 tonnes of onion to the UAE and Bangladesh.

DGFT is an arm of the commerce ministry, which deals with norms related to imports and exports.

Though onion exports are banned, shipments are allowed on the basis of permission granted by the government to other countries based on their request.

On December 8 last year, the government banned exports of onion till March 31 this year with a view to increase domestic availability and to keep prices in check.

To control prices, the government has earlier taken several steps. It had imposed a minimum export price (MEP) of USD 800 per tonne on onion exports on October 28 till December 31, 2023.

In August, India had imposed a 40 per cent export duty on onions up to December 31, 2023.

Between April 1, 2023, and August 4, 2023, this fiscal, 9.75 lakh tonnes of onions have been exported from the country. The top three importing countries in value terms are Bangladesh, Malaysia and the UAE.

Onion is a politically sensitive commodity.

NCEL is a multi-state cooperative society. It is jointly promoted by some of the leading cooperative societies in the country, namely, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), popularly known as AMUL; Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO); Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd (KRIBHCO); and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED).