01-08-2011, 01:58 AM
[url="http://www.dailypioneer.com/308941/Traders-stop-vegetable-export-to-Pak;-protest-onion-export-ban.html"]Traders stop vegetable export to Pak; protest onion export ban[/url]
Quote:Amritsar-based traders today refused to export vegetables, including tomato, to Pakistan via Attari-Wagah land route, peeved over the ban imposed by neighbouring country on onion export through land route.
"We have not exported vegetables to Pakistan at all today in protest against the Pakistan government's move of putting a ban on onion export to India," Amritsar-based vegetable trader Anil Mehra told PTI today over phone.
This decision was taken today collectively by about 40 vegetables exporters based at Amritsar.
"We took this decision because when we (India) needed vegetables (onion), Pakistan has simply banned the export of essential item," he said, while adding that the traders were not bothered about the losses which would they face because of not sending vegetables to neighbouring country.
About 60 to 70 trucks carrying vegetables including tomato, ginger and chilly, have been withheld by exporters and were not sent for customs clearance for onward movement to the neighbouring country.
"No truck carrying vegetables including tomato crossed over to Pakistan through land route. Though six trucks containing soybean (animal feed) have moved to neighbouring country while nine trucks carrying mainly dry fruit from Pakistan entered Indian territory at Amritsar," a senior official of Customs Department at Amritsar said.
India is a major exporter of vegetables to Pakistan as out of total export via land route, 30-32 per cent account for tomato alone.
Besides, soybean has a share of 55 per cent and remaining with chilly, ginger, potato, capsicum, biscuits, raw cotton etc.
The exports from India to Pakistan through Attari-Wagah land route have almost doubled to Rs 840 crore during April-December 2010 against export of Rs 447 crore in the corresponding period.
Sudden ban imposed on export of onion has hit the traders of both the countries with Indian importers claiming that Pakistan had not even allowed the supply of contracted orders of onion before the announcement of ban.
Indian traders claimed that vegetable suppliers in Pakistan had also shut down their business in protest against imposition of ban on onion export through land route.
Notably, close to 7,000 MT of onion had arrived since the commencement of onion export to India from Pakistan via land route.
Because of the supply from Pakistan, prices of onion in Punjab and Chandigarh had come down from a level of Rs 60-65 per kg to Rs 45-50 per kg.