Indian onion exports dip 8%
Sources in the National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) said the country exported 117,000 tonnes of onions this April as against 127,000 metric tonnes in April the last financial year.
"The Union government has brought onions under the purview of the Essential Commodities Act. The exports of commodities that have government restrictions are adversely affected as the traders do not show much interest in the export. Alongside that, there were factors such as the higher Minimum Export Price (MEP) of onions as compared to other exporting countries," Nafed director Nanasaheb Patil said.
"The onion export is to be badly affected in the current financial year too. The Centre has already hiked the MEP of onions from 250 US$ a tonne to 425 US$ a tonne, which is higher as compared to other exporting countries. Export is not possible at such a higher rate," he told TOI.
In 2014-15, the onion export from the country dipped by 20% to 1.1 million tonnes, against 1.4 million tonnes in the 2013-14 financial year. The decline in export was because of the hike in the MEP, delayed kharif corp, inclusion of onions in the Essential Commodities act and damage to the quality of the summer crop.
Source: indiatimes.com
