Indonesia asks India to export 900,000 tonnes of onions

New Delhi: Indonesia has sought 900,000 tonnes of onions from India amid the ban on exports, a top Indian government official said. This assumes significance as Indonesia is India’s largest trade partner in Asean, and imports onions mostly from the US, India and New Zealand. The request comes after India imposed a 40% export tax on onions last August, followed by a minimum export price of $800 per tonne in October, to stabilize domestic supply and prices due to a crop shortfall. Despite these measures, high prices led to a complete export ban in December, effective until the end of the 2023-24 financial year. “After India’s export ban on onion, traders and importers in Indonesia have been requesting Indian onion, and there is a demand for 900,000 tonnes of onions worth $100,000. Hence, a request has been sent to the Indian government," the official said. India accounts for about a fourth of the global onion output and is the largest exporter after the Netherlands and Mexico. In ...