New Delhi. Last Monday, news came that the Central Government has lifted the ban on export of onion. After this news, onion prices started increasing in the market. The situation was such that in Lasalgaon, Maharashtra, the biggest wholesale market of onion, its wholesale price increased from Rs 1280 per quintal to Rs 1800. Now the Central Government has said that the news of resumption of onion export is false.
Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh told the media that the ban on export of onion has not been lifted. He also informed that there is no change in the situation. The Secretary said that it is the responsibility of the government to provide onions to the people at a reasonable price. Seeing the continuously increasing prices of onion, the Central Government had banned its export on 8 December 2023 till 31 March 2024. According to reports, due to the Lok Sabha elections, the government may extend the ban on onion export beyond March 31. Onion is grown during Rabi crop. It is being told that officers of the Agriculture Ministry will now go to Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to collect onion production data. If onion production goes well, then its export may get the green signal again after the results of the Lok Sabha elections.
According to the information, the Central Government has a stock of 5 lakh tonnes of onion till March 2024. The government is trying to increase it further. There is an export ban on onion, but on the recommendation of the inter-ministerial group, onion is also exported to friendly countries. Now after the Central Government has denied the news related to export of onion, its prices are likely to come down in the wholesale and retail markets.