Onion becoming cheaper after export ban, stock limits: Paswan

Onion prices have started cooling down in both retail and wholesale markets in some parts of the country after the government banned exports of the key kitchen staple and imposed stock limits on traders, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Thursday.

Retail onion prices, which were ruling at Rs 60-70 per kg for the past few weeks in the national capital and some other parts of the country, declined to below Rs 60 per kg on Thursday, as per trade data.

"We have to take care of the interest of both farmers and consumers. Prices of onion have started declining after we banned export and imposed stock limit of 100 quintals on retailers and 500 quintals on wholesale traders," Paswan told reporters.

Out of the central buffer stock of 56,000 tonne of onion, 18,000 tonne has been disposed of and about 15,000 tonne has dried owing to moisture loss, he said.

"We still have 25,000 tonne of onion in our stock. We are asking state governments to take (from the stock) and supply at Rs 23.90 per .