Shillong, October 29: To ensure an ample supply of onions for domestic consumers at reasonable prices, the government has imposed a Minimum Export Price (MEP) of $800 per metric tonne on onion exports, effective from October 29 until December 31, 2023.
As per IANS, this move is in response to the declining quantity of stored Rabi 2023 onions and aims to curb excessive onion exports.
The MEP of $800 per metric tonne is equivalent to approximately Rs 67 per kilogram. In addition to this decision, the government has also announced the procurement of an additional 2 lakh tonnes of onions for the buffer, supplementing the existing 5 lakh tonnes already in storage.
Onions from the buffer have been consistently released since the second week of August in major consumption centers across the country. They are also made available to retail consumers at the affordable price of Rs 25 per kilogram through mobile vans operated by NCCF and NAFED. As of now, about 1.70 lakh metric tonnes of onions have been dispensed from the buffer.