Exports cause onion price hike in country, ministry sources

LAHORE: The Ministry of Commerce officials caused hike in the onion price in the country, citing sources ARY News reported on Wednesday.

Production ministry sources said that despite shortage of onion, 600,000 tonnes of the commodity were exported this year.

“They started onion import after it caused shortage and the onion price increased manifold,” the production ministry sources said.

Sources said that the domestic production of onion remained 2.5 million tonnes this year, while the country’s yearly requirement has been 3.5 to four million tonnes.

The export of local onion started the crisis and today onion being sold at Rs 250 per KG instead of 100 rupees per kilogram.

President Agri Forum Ibrahim Mughal has called for increasing the per year yield of onion to five million tonnes. “40 million tonnes required to us while remaining one million can be exported,” he said.

He said the ministries of production and commerce, have been responsible for onions’ price hike. “The people involved in exports should be questioned about this decision,” he said.

The sources at the commerce ministry have said that the onion exports have been banned currently adding that the local need of the commodity being preferred.