Onion trucks stopped due to India's export ban enter Bangladesh

A day after Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in India for her 4-day visit, reports have stated that over 50 trucks carrying onion from India entered Bangladesh on Friday. As per reports by Bangladesh media, a consignment carrying over 1,500 metric tonnes of onion from India was allowed in Bangladesh through the Sonamasjid land port.As per Bangladesh media reports, the onion consignment was sent before the Indian onion export ban came into effect. However, the trucks were blocked at Bengal's Mahadipur Land Port from entering Bangladesh following the ban was imposed.

"The LCs were opened before the Indian onion export ban came into effect. Several hundred trucks carrying onion were trapped in India’s Mahadipur Land Port when the ban came. The perishable commodity eventually started to rot. Finally, import resumed on Friday", said Mustafizur Rahman, president of Sonamasjid Port C&F Agent Association (sic).

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India bans onion exports

This development came days after the Government of India banned the export of all varieties of onions with immediate effect through a circular dated September 29. The Director-General of Foreign Trade said that there has been an amendment in the export policy of onions. The move was taken by the government in light of the soaring prices of onions in the country.

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Bangladesh PM in India

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina arrived in New Delhi on Friday for her 4-day visit to India. Speaking at the India-Bangladesh Business Forum on Friday, she joked about the shortage of onion in her country after India's export ban.  Minister of Railways and Commerce Piyush Goyal was also present at the event. She said, “I don't know why you stopped onion (exports). So what I did was, I told my cook to not to use onion in food. Prior notice of such decisions would help. Suddenly, you stopped and it became a difficulty for us. In future, if you are taking such a decision, prior information would help.”

READ | Told Cook Not To Use Onion: Sheikh Hasina Jokes On India's Export Ban

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