New Delhi: The government on Saturday notified a minimum export price (MEP) of $800 per metric tonne on onion export with effect from October 29 till December 31, 2023.
The measure has been taken to ensure sufficient availability of onions to domestic consumers at affordable prices as the quantity of Rabi 2023 onions in storage has been declining.
The MEP of $800 per metric tonne translates into about Rs 67 per kg.
Along with the decision to impose MEP on onion exports, the government has also announced the procurement of an additional 2 lakh tonnes of onion for the buffer, over and above the 5 lakh tonnes already procured.
Onion from the buffer has been disposed of continuously from the second week of August in major consumption centres all over the country and also supplied to retail consumers at Rs 25 per kg through mobile vans operated by NCCF and NAFED.
To date, about 1.70 lakh metric tonnes of onion have been disposed from the buffer.
The continuous procurement and disposal of onion from the buffer are undertaken to moderate the prices for consumers while ensuring remunerative prices to the onion farmers.