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A truck carrying 30 metric tons of onions entered Bangladesh from India at 6:25 pm on Tuesday. This marks the resumption of onion imports through the Hili Land Port after nearly six months of hiatus. The Indian government lifted its ban on onion exports on May 4, UNB reports.
Ahmed Ali, an importer at the port, said that the Indian government had lifted the export ban on onions and fixed the export price at $550 per metric ton. In this situation, 'LC' is opened for importing onions from India. Although they expected the Indian government to impose an additional 40 per cent duty on exports, they did not do so.
He further explained that the cost of importing onions per kilogram is currently Tk 70. If the prices do not fall, they will be forced to stop onion imports.
Muhammad Yusuf Ali, Deputy Coordinator of the Hili Land Port Plant Quarantine Center, revealed that the Indian government had suspended imports to manage their domestic deficit. Nearly 20 importers from Bangladesh applied for permission to import onions to the country on March 31.
He further disclosed that an importer had imported 30 metric tons of onions through the Hili Land Port. Since onions are perishable goods, they have begun the process of clearing them quickly.
Regarding the increase in domestic production, a letter signed by Santosh Kumar, Director General of India's Foreign Trade Department, on December 7 last year, imposed a ban on onion exports until March 31. Since then, onion imports from India have been suspended through various ports in the country. On March 23, the ban deadline was extended, declaring an indefinite halt to onion exports.
Bangladesh was among six countries that received an exemption from the ban.