In a move to curb inflation ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, India has banned the export of onions till March 2024.
The Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued a notification to this effect on Thursday. As per the notification, the export policy of onions has been amended from ‘Free’ to Prohibited.
While the ban comes into effect on Friday, the export of onions will be allowed on three conditions.
“Further, consignments of onions will be allowed to be exported on fulfilment of any one of the following three conditions: i. where loading of onions on the ship has commenced before this Notification; ii. where the shipping bill is filed and vessels have already berthed or arrived and anchored in Indian ports for loading of onion and their rotation number has been allocated before this Notification; The approval of loading in such vessels will be issued only after confirmation by the concerned Port Authorities regarding anchoring/berthing of the ship for loading of onions prior to the Notification; and iii. where consignments of onions has been handed over to the Customs before this Notification and is registered in their system / where consignments onions has entered the Customs Station for exportation before this Notification and is registered in the electronic systems of the concerned Custodian of the Customs Station with verifiable evidence of date and time stamping of these commodities having entered the Customs Station prior to issuance of this Notification. The period of export shall be up to 5th January, 2024,” reads the notification.
It further says, “Export of onions will also be allowed on the basis of permission granted by the Government of India to other countries based on the request of their Government.”
The all-India daily average price of onion was recorded at Rs 57.11 per kg on Thursday, which is 97.95 per cent higher as compared to a year ago.
On Thursday, the Centre asked all sugar mills and distilleries not to use sugar cane juice or sugar syrup for ethanol production with immediate effect in ethanol supply year (ESY) 2023-24 (November-December).
Earlier, the government had banned the export of wheat and non-basmati white rice.
Source: The Indian Express