The Centre on Monday lifted the ban on the export of all varieties of onions with effect from January 1 next year. Anticipating a supply crunch, the government had halted the trade exercise earlier this year in September due to a spurt in prices.
“The export of all varieties of onions...has been made free with effect from January 1, 2021,” the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a notification.
The government had last banned onion exports on September 29, 2019, after a bad crop crimped output. In December 2019, prices soared to Rs 80 per kg in the national capital. The government had lifted the ban on March 15, 2020.
Since the bulb is a common base ingredient of most dishes and widely consumed, consumers are quite sensitive to a rise in onion prices, relative to many other commodities.