Big relief to onion farmers amid elections, government lifts ban on export, decides MEP

Onion Export: Amidst the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the country, the government on Saturday lifted the ban on onion export. But at the same time the minimum export price (MEP) has been fixed at $ 550 per tonne. "Onion export policy has been revised to exempt it from restriction under MEP of $550 per tonne with immediate effect and till further orders," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a circular. 40 percent duty was imposed on the export of. In August last year, India had imposed 40 percent export duty on onion till December 31, 2023.

Farmers of Maharashtra had protested against the ban

On December 8, 2023, the government had banned the export of onion till March 31 this year. In March, the export ban was extended until further orders. The Union Agriculture Ministry had released onion production figures in March. According to the data, onion production in 2023-24 (first advance estimate) is expected to be around 254.73 lakh tonnes compared to last year's around 302.08 lakh tonnes. According to the data, production has decreased by 34.31 lakh tonnes in Maharashtra, 9.95 lakh tonnes in Karnataka, 3.54 lakh tonnes in Andhra Pradesh and 3.12 lakh tonnes in Rajasthan. Farmers of Maharashtra had protested against the export ban. Last month, Congress had accused the Narendra Modi government of neglecting Maharashtra farmers due to the ban on onion exports.

Also took these decisions

The government on Friday also decided to provide exemption from duty on import of indigenous gram till March 31, 2025. Apart from this, duty exemption on import of yellow peas through 'Bill of Entry' issued on or before October 31, 2024 has also been extended. ‘Bill of Entry’ is a legal document which is filed by importers or customs clearance agents on or before the arrival of imported goods. The Finance Ministry said in a notification that all these changes will be effective from May 4.