• National
  • Politics
  • Valley
  • Opinion
  • Money
  • Sports
  • Culture & Lifestyle

  • National
    • Madhesh Province
    • Lumbini Province
    • Bagmati Province
    • National Security
    • Koshi Province
    • Gandaki Province
    • Karnali Province
    • Sudurpaschim Province
  • Politics
  • Valley
    • Kathmandu
    • Lalitpur
    • Bhaktapur
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • As it is
    • Letters
    • Editorial
    • Cartoon
  • Money
  • Sports
    • Cricket
    • Football
    • International Sports
  • Culture & Lifestyle
    • Arts
    • Brunch with the Post
    • Movies
    • Life & Style
    • Theater
    • Entertainment
    • Books
    • Fashion
  • Health
  • Food
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Investigations
  • Climate & Environment
  • World
  • Science & Technology
  • Interviews
  • Visual Stories
  • Crosswords & Sudoku
  • Horoscope
  • Forex
  • Corrections
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Today's ePaper
Friday, May 9, 2025

Without Fear or FavourUNWIND IN STYLE

24.12°C Kathmandu
Air Quality in Kathmandu: 155
300+Hazardous
0-50Good
51-100Moderate
101-150Unhealty for Sensitive Groups
151-200Unhealthy
201-300Very Unhealthy
Fri, May 9, 2025
24.12°C Kathmandu
Air Quality in Kathmandu: 155
  • What's News :

  • Nepal urges for peace
  • Pro-monarchy forces unite
  • Dry port construction begins
  • Blackbuck boom poses problems
  • NCD screening plans

Money

India announces lifting ban on onion exports

Supply has normalised with the market receiving around 70 tonnes of the vegetable daily. India announces lifting ban on onion exports
A vendor fills sacks of onions at Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable market in Kathmandu. POST FILE PHOTO
bookmark
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • Whatsapp
  • mail
Krishana Prasain
Published at : March 5, 2020
Updated at : March 6, 2020 08:15
Kathmandu
India said it would lift its five-month-old ban on onion exports with effect from March 15, with supplies likely to expand due to the arrival of the new harvest and an increase in production.


Last September, the Indian government prohibited the export of all varieties of onion due to inadequate supply in the Indian market, leading to severe shortages of the kitchen staple in Nepal and other South Asian countries.

Retail prices jumped on the short supply, with the vegetable costing up to Rs250 per kg during the festival season last year. The price of onion currently ranges from Rs80-90 per kg.

On March 2, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, India issued a notice stating that the export ban on all varieties of onion had been unconditionally revoked with effect from March 15.

Nepal is almost totally dependent on onion shipments from India as domestic production is negligible. The government had launched an onion mission programme by investing a huge amount of money, but it got nowhere due to lack of proper planning and essential infrastructure like cold storage.

According to Binaya Shrestha, deputy director at the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Board, supply has normalised in recent days with the market receiving around 70 tonnes of onion daily.

“The market received 1,555 tonnes of onion between February 13 and March 5,” he said. The wholesale price has been gradually decreasing from last month.

As the country is totally dependent on the southern neighbour to meet its onion requirement, the domestic price depends on prices in India, he said. “For this reason, we cannot predict whether prices will go up or down,” Shrestha said.

The market was receiving around 80 tonnes of onion daily before the export ban by India, he said.

Shyam Prasad Lamichhane, manager at the Balkhu Agriculture and Vegetable Market, said that the market receives 50-55 tonnes of onion daily. Deliveries have increased with the surge in production, he said. Onion sells for Rs65 per kg at the Balkhu market, he added.

Traders have been shipping onion to markets in Nepal even before the publication of a formal notice lifting the export ban, Lamichhane said.

According to Indian onion trader Ritesh Kumar Gupta, owner of Aditya Shree Enterprise, he has been supplying onion through traders based in the border towns, especially in Sarlahi and Lahan.

The supply has increased in recent weeks with the arrival of the new harvest, he said. As prices are high in the Indian market, it will take time for them to return to pre-ban levels, he added.

Nepal imported onions valued at Rs1.75 billion during the period mid-July to mid-February this year compared to Rs2.92 billion during the same period last year, as per the statistics issued by the Department of Customs.

According to the Economic Times, the Indian government decided to lift the ban with prices likely to fall sharply due to a bumper rabi crop (crops that are planted in the winter and harvested in the spring). Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the UAE are the three largest buyers of Indian onions, it said.


Krishana Prasain

Krishana Prasain is a business reporter for The Kathmandu Post covering markets. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2018, she spent 3 years in New Business Age magazine covering business.


Related News

Everest climbing season opens earlier than usual
Tree cutting begins for Dodhara Chandani dry port construction
NEPSE this week
Ncell launches first ‘Shop-in-Shop’ in Bhairahawa
European investors explore business opportunities in Nepal
NEPSE slips 12 points after two-day rally

Most Read from Money

Everest to no longer be anybody’s climb
His last mountain: Alexander Pancoe dies on Makalu
Banned pesticide found in broccoli, long yard beans, and bitter gourd
Investors, hoteliers left waiting as flights vanish from Bhairahawa airport
The future is digital and green

Editor's Picks

Spotlight or sideline? Nepali sport’s social media dilemma
Deported by US, denied by Bhutan
National flag caught in politics. Experts call for clearer rules
Everest to no longer be anybody’s climb
Three generations devoted to care of Central Zoo animals

E-PAPER | May 09, 2025

  • Read ePaper Online
×
ABOUT US
  • About the Post
  • Masthead
  • Editorial Standards & Integrity
  • Workplace Harassment Policy
  • Privacy Policy
READ US
  • Home Delivery
  • ePaper
CONTACT US
  • Write for the Post
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Advertise in the Post
  • Work for the Post
  • Send us a tip
INTERACT WITH US
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
OUR SISTER PUBLICATIONS
  • eKantipur
  • saptahik
  • Nepal
  • Nari
  • Radio Kantipur
  • Kantipur TV
© 2025 www.kathmandupost.com
  • Privacy Policy
Top