The government has put onion seeds under the restricted category from the earlier prohibited category. It essentially means that now there is a relaxation in the ban imposed on the export of onion seeds.
“The export policy of onion seeds has been put under ‘ Restricted’ category, with immediate effect,” stated Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Director General of Foreign Trade in a notification dated May 13.
According to industry experts now export of onion seeds would be possible with government’s special intervention. One of the members associated with the industry told BusinessLine that the onion seeds are available in ample quantity and in the last few years majority of farmers are cultivating their own seeds.
"We have seeds that can cater to the needs of farmers in India and neighboring countries. Farmer Producer Companies have produced their own seed banks and many seed companies have brought in their seed in the market,” he said requesting anonymity.