India loosens onion export ban to help neighbours

India is gearing up to supply thousands of metric tonnes of onions to Sri Lanka and UAE, days after it approved limited exports of essential commodities to the Maldives.

According to the Hindustan Times, India has supplied 10,000 metric tons of onions over and above the agreed 14,400-ton cap.

The world’s largest global exporter of onions, India has either banned or limited export permits for the in-demand vegetable, as well as for rice, wheat flour, pulses, and sugar, since last December.

Subsequently, onion prices are believed to have risen dramatically in neighbouring countries that have depended on onion imports from India to meet their domestic demand. Through a “special quota” arrangement, the Indian Government recently allowed exports to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Bahrain, and Bhutan.