Govt to import 25,000 tonnes onion, 30,000 tonnes potato before Diwali

Spurt in prices triggers move as norms for pulses are also eased

The Centre is planning to import 25,000 tonnes of onions and 30,000 tonnes of potatoes, and has also relaxed the norms for importing pulses to tide over the spurt in prices, Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday.

In addition to the 30,000 potatoes to be imported without any license, the Central government in a late night notification also allowed import of another 1 million tonnes of potatoes at a concessional duty of 10 per cent before January 1, 2021.

The minister said about 7,000 tonnes of onion have already been imported from various countries, while another tranche