“India’s onion problem is not so much about managing the shortages as it is about managing the surplus,” said Danish Shah, a third-generation onion exporter from Maharashtra . Fresh onion is available from January to May.After that, the country eats rabi crop onions stored by Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Onion prices have doubled in Sri Lanka since India banned exports.” Traders called for export incentives to improve incomes of farmers. It would help curb consignment-based onion exports undertaken by traders involved in domestic trade to maintain their domestic pricelevels, they said. The sensitivity of the political class towards onion prices is one of the biggest factors adding to the ‘onion mess’ of India.

Source: Economic Times October 11, 2019 17:37 UTC