Centre Allows Export of Onion Seeds with Some Restrictions

The government has shifted onion seeds from the prohibited to the restricted category. It essentially means that the ban on the export of onion seeds has now been lifted. "The export policy of onion seeds has been placed under the 'Restricted' category, with immediate effect," Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Director General of Foreign Trade, stated in a May 13 notification.

Export of onion seeds, according to industry experts, is now possible with the government's special intervention. One industry member told that onion seeds are plentiful, and that in recent years, the majority of farmers have been cultivating their own seeds.

"We have seeds that can meet the needs of Indian farmers and farmers in neighbouring countries." Farmer Producer Companies have created their own seed banks, and many seed companies have introduced their seed into the market," he said.

Due to unfavourable weather conditions, swarming caterpillar infestations, and low bee pollination, onion seed growers in Faridpur are concerned about meeting their production targets this year.

The majority of onion seed growers claim that the bulbs were damaged during the cultivation period due to excessive rain caused by Cyclone Jawad.

Farmers planted new bulbs, but the extreme heat just before harvest burned the seeds. According to sources at the Faridpur Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), a total of 1,714 hectares of land across nine Faridpur upazilas are being used to cultivate onion seeds this year, up from 1,711 hectares last year.

Farmers in the district have grown a variety of onion seed varieties, including Rajshahi Tahirpur, Super King, Sukhsagar, Bari-4, Nasik King, and some hybrids.

This year also saw the introduction of a new onion seed variety known as "Summer Season Onion." As a result of droughts, insect infestations, and a lack of pollination this year, onion seed production is not expected to exceed 30% to 40% of previous levels.