Government relaxes norms for onion imports

NEW DELHI: Amid skyrocketing onion prices, the government today relaxed norms for import of onion by allowing fumigation of the kitchen staple in India without imposing any penalty.

Fumigation is a technique used for pest control by suffocate or poisoning the pests within.

The government has relaxed the the conditions for import of onions till November 30 this year, according to an official statement.

The consignments of imported onion which arrive in Indian port without fumigation and endorsement to that effect on the Phytosanitary Certificate (PSC) would be fumigated here by the importer through an accredited treatment provider.

"Such consignments of onion for consumption will not be subjected to the four times penal fees on account of non compliance of conditions of import," the statement added.

The consignment would be inspected thoroughly by quarantine officials and released only if found free from pests and diseases of concern to India.

However earlier in the day, co-operative major National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India ( NAFED) has floated tender to import the onions from Pakistan, Iran, China and Egypt, after kitchen staple prices touched all-time high of Rs 90 per kg.