India Unable to Export Onions to Pakistan Due to Inflated Prices.

First time in the last several years, India is facing hardships to export onion to Pakistan and other countries due to inflated export prices and exporters are getting fewer orders from Pakistan. India had remained the number of one exporter of onion in the world till last year.

“Due to massive floods, Pakistan is facing severe shortage of the commodity especially in Sindh and Punjab,” the president, Anjuman of Pakistan Fruit and Vegetables Importers and Traders, Haji Shahjahan, told The Daily Mail (Pakistan).

He said that the new crop in both the provinces was uncertain and it seemed that Pakistan might be depending mostly on imported commodity for the time being. Indian onion was best suited to Pakistani importers as it was nearest and cheaper than other options like China, Turkey and Thailand.

He, however, said that higher export prices of the commodities forced the Indian exporters to negotiate prices with their Pakistani counterparts. “Presently, the Pakistani importers are depending on Iran and Afghanistan’s onion though its price too is little higher due to which we are forced to sell it at Rs 50 per kg in the local market.”

Pakistan, an onion export nation before floods, was quoting prices of onion at $170 to $180 per tonne as compared to India’s price of the commodity at $220 per tonne. Prior to the arrival of consignments from Iran through Quetta, the prices of onion soared to a record high, and selling at Rs 70-80 per kg in various cities of Pakistan including Karachi.

Source : fnbnews.com