Govt to hold meeting on rising onion prices

Farm Min opposes export ban

A committee of secretaries is expected to meet today to find out ways to rein spiraling onion prices. 

 

According to senior officials, the committee which comprises of representatives from the department of consumer affairs, agriculture and commerce along with finance and other will meet shortly to chalk a way out of the current spike in prices. 

 

Yesterday, consumer affairs minister K.V. Thomas met with agriculture minister Sharad Pawar to discuss the situation. Officials said there seems to be consensus that exports of onions should not be banned at this juncture as the current price spike is a temporary phenomenon. 

 

Onion prices in the retail markets have moved up by almost Rs 10-15 per kilogram in the last few days and are currently hovering around Rs 70-80 per kg mainly due to disruption in supplies from Maharashtra and Karnataka due to heavy showers. 

 

The two states together produce more than 80% of the country’s onion crop. India has exported more than 500,000 tonnes of onion in the first four months of the 2013-14 financial year. 

 

In full of 2012-13, India had exported around 2 million tonnes of onion, out of a total production of around 17 million tonnes.