Onion Price: The central government has lifted the 20 percent export duty on onions, effective April 1. This duty was initially implemented on September 13, 2024. A notification from the Revenue Department has confirmed this change. The government had previously introduced measures to restrict exports, including the imposition of duties, a minimum export price (MEP), and a ban on exports from December 8, 2023, to May 3, 2024.
Export amount
Despite these export limitations, the government reported that total onion exports for the 2023-24 period reached 17.17 lakh tonnes, while for 2024-25 (up to March 18), exports amounted to 11.65 lakh tonnes. The monthly export volume of onions rose from 0.72 lakh tonnes in September 2024 to 1.85 lakh tonnes in January 2025.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution stated in a release that this decision reflects the government’s dedication to ensuring fair prices for farmers and stabilizing onion prices for consumers, particularly at a time when both mandi and retail prices have decreased due to the anticipated arrival of a substantial quantity of Rabi crops.
It noted that current mandi prices are higher than those recorded during the same period in previous years. However, the all-India weighted average model prices have dropped by 39 percent, and the all-India average retail onion prices have decreased by 10 percent compared to the previous month. Additionally, the influx of onions in key markets such as Lasalgaon and Pimpalgaon has increased this month.