New Delhi, Dec 29 (KNN) The Central government has lifted the ban on the exports of onions of all varieties, starting January 1 next year.

Earlier, the Centre had imposed the said ban in September this year owing to a hike in prices, which triggered concerns regarding a supply crunch.

"The export of all varieties of onions... has been made free with effect from January 1, 2021," said the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a notification on Monday.

The retail prices in the national capital hover around Rs 35-40 per kg.

Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka are the top three onion growing states and India is one of the biggest onion exporters. The export destinations include Nepal and Bangladesh.