Minimum Export Price of onion fixed at $850

The government on Thursday notified Minimum Export Price (MEP) of onion at $850 per tonne to discourage export against the backdrop of rising prices locally.

"The government has notified MEP of onion at $850 per tonne to ensure domestic availability of onion and to discourage cheap export from the country," said Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan in a tweet.

On Thursday, onion were sold at average Rs 47 per kg in Delhi, while its prices had reached to Rs 68 per kg in Shimla, as per the ministry.

On Wednesday, Paswan had said the public sector body MMTC would import 2,000 tonnes of onion.

In addition,the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India was procuring 10,000 tonnes and the Small Farmers Agriculture-business Consortium was asked to buy about 2,000 tonnes from farmers to boost supply of the staple, he had said.

--IANS

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