March 24: India has imposed an indefinite ban on onion exports. Earlier, India had announced the ban on export of onion until March 31. However, before the deadline expired, India issued a notification on Friday extending the export ban indefinitely.

India is considered to be the largest exporter of vegetables in the world. The ban is expected to increase prices in countries including Nepal that import onions from India.

According to the Times of India, the Government of India took this decision with the aim of reducing the price of onion in the domestic market, targeting the upcoming elections. With Friday's decision, the price of onion has fallen by more than half in India.

Information officer of Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market Development Committee, Binay Shrestha, says that the market price of onion in Nepal has not been significantly affected due to the restriction imposed by India.

According to him, onions are being imported from India through informal channels despite the ban. The information officer Shrestha, said, "Local production will not last even for two to three months. The country has to depend on India to meet the demand."

According to the committee, the Kalimati Fruit and Vegetable Market imported 72,000 kilograms of onions on March 21, while it imported 123, 000 kgsof onions on March 22.

Nepal produces around 300,000 tonnes of onion on 20,251 hectares of land annually.