Onion exporters hope Centre will allow some relaxation

Kolkata, Sep 16: Two days after the Centre banned the export of all varieties of onions with immediate effect, exporters are hopeful that the government would allow some relaxation for those orders which have already been booked, an official said on Wednesday.

The export community also expects that the Bangalore Rose variety of onion, which is not much popular in the country, will be removed from the purview of the ban order, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) director general Ajay Sahai said.

Hundreds of onion laden trucks are now stranded at several border land ports in West Bengal such as Mahadipur in Malda district, and Gojadanga and Petrapole in North 24 Parganas district bordering Bangladesh.

"The sudden ban has caused problems for us. India is the largest supplier of onion in our country. The retail price has shot up to Tk 70 from Tk 50 within a day and is likely to rise further," a Bangaladeshi importer said.

Sahai said that the government has been apprised of the problems of the exporters. "We are expecting some relaxation for orders that have already been booked. The government may also allow export of the Bangalore Rose variety," he said.

The government move to ban onion export was aimed at increasing availability and curbing prices of the commodity in the domestic market. Meanwhile, Mahadipur Clearing and Forwarding (C&F) Agents Welfare Association secretary Bhupati Mondal said that around 400 trucks carrying onion meant for Bangladesh have been stranded in the border land port in Malda district.