India Onion Export Ban Continues, But Neighbours to Get Shipments
01 March 2024
Amid export ban on onion that will continue till March 31, 2024, India
has permitted fixed quantity of 69,160 tonne of onions to Bangladesh (50,000
tonne), the United Arab Emirates (14,400 tonne), Bahrain (3,000 tonne), Bhutan
(560 tonne), and Mauritius (1,200 tonne). The government took the decision
after receiving requests from several countries. According to a report, the ban
is unlikely to be lifted even after March 31 as rabi (winter) onion production
is expected to be lower due to less coverage of area especially in Maharashtra.
Let’s have a look at India’s exports of onions to the world and neighbouring
countries in the last past years.
India to export onions to
Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Mauritius, UAE, despite ban
India exported onions worth
USD 346 million to the world in 2020, that dollar amount increased in the
subsequent years. Among neighbouring countries that were allowed to get onion
shipments from India, Bangladesh is highly dependent on imports of Indian
onions. Here’s data visualization of India’s exports of onions to Bahrain,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Mauritius, and the United Arab Emirates.
Year |
Exports to World |
Exports to Bahrain |
Exports to Bangladesh |
Exports to Bhutan |
Exports to Mauritius |
Exports to UAE |
2020 |
346 |
4 |
92 |
0.1 |
2 |
41 |
2021 |
449 |
4 |
141 |
1 |
2 |
42 |
2022 |
524 |
6 |
139 |
1 |
2 |
68 |
2023
(Till Q3) |
439 |
5 |
101 |
0.9 |
3 |
72 |
****USD Value Million
Which top 10 countries are
highly dependent on imports of Indian onions?
India’s top 10 export partners
of onions in 2022 were Bangladesh, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Sri
Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Qatar, Vietnam, Oman, and Singapore. Visualize values
of these countries in the given chart.
Country |
Value USD Million |
Bangladesh |
139 |
Malaysia |
101 |
United Arab Emirates |
68 |
Sri
Lanka |
58 |
Nepal |
34 |
Indonesia |
24 |
Qatar |
18 |
Vietnam |
15 |
Oman |
12 |
Singapore |
10 |
India is one of the biggest
exporters of onions in the world
In 2022, India was the
third-biggest onion exporter in the world. The Netherlands and China held the
top positions in the global onion export market. Other players in the supply of
onions were Mexico, the United States, Egypt, Spain, Poland, Peru, and France. The
given chart shows values of these countries.
Country |
USD Value Million (2022) |
World |
4,355 |
Netherlands |
849 |
China |
564 |
India |
524 |
Mexico |
437 |
United
States |
320 |
Egypt |
217 |
Spain |
184 |
Poland |
114 |
Peru |
104 |
France |
85 |
India’s onion export ban will
continue as the government is closely monitoring onion crop availability and
prices to take appropriate action in the best interests of both consumers and
farmers. On October 29, 2023, the government established a minimum export price
(MEP) of USD 800 per tonne for onion exports while also disposing of onion
buffer stock.