Nepal Faces Crunch In Onion Supply After India Imposes 40% Export Duty

New Delhi, Aug 26 (KNN) India’s neighbour Nepal is facing onion shortage after India imposed the 40% export duty on the commodity.

Since Tuesday, the Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market in Kathmandu wiped onion off its price list after exporters stopped importing onion from India, reported The Statesman.

“We have 80 vendors that sell out onions but in the last two days, they are running out of the onion stock so we have wiped off the price list of onion because it is no more available,” said Binay Shrestha, information officer of Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market, one of major and biggest vegetable and fruit markets in Kathmandu that provides fresh vegetables and fruits to the people of Kathmandu Valley.

And there is a sharp rise in onion prices in Nepal following the imposition of the export duty by the Union government. The price of onion in the Nepali market has reached around Rs 90 – 100 per kg from Rs 50.

As Nepal imports almost all its onion requirements from India, the hefty export duty has created shortages in the domestic market.

Traders say that the scarcity coincides with Nepal’s festive season when onion consumption explodes. 

Imposition of 40% export duty till December 21, comes at at time when the majority of Nepali festivals fall in between.  (KNN Bureau)