Mumbai, March 23 : Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate on Saturday welcomed the Centre's decision to withdraw 20 per cent export duty on onions from April 1.

Shinde expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal for this decision.

'The government had repeatedly requested the Prime Minister and the Union Minister for Cooperation to reduce the export duty on onions. Due to the withdrawal of export duty, onion producers will now be able to get a good price,' he remarked.

Manikrao Kokate said the Centre's decision will benefit millions of onion farmers across the state.

Welcoming this decision, Kokate stated that the consistent follow-up and official correspondence with the central government under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar have led to this successful outcome.

"This decision by the Central government is extremely crucial for the farmers in the state. With the removal of the 20 per cent export duty on onions, farmers will now receive fair prices for their produce," he said.

He further explained that in order to ensure domestic availability, the government had previously imposed restrictions on onion exports from December 8, 2023, to May 3, 2024. These restrictions included export duties, a Minimum Export Price (MEP), and a complete export ban at times.

The 20 per cent export duty, which was in effect since September 13, 2024, has now been revoked.

Despite the export restrictions, a total of 17.17 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of onions were exported in the 2023-24 financial year, and 11.65 LMT had been exported in the 2024-25 financial year (as of March 18).

Monthly onion exports increased from 0.72 LMT in September 2024 to 1.85 LMT in January 2025. This decision aims to ensure that farmers receive good prices for their produce while also keeping onions affordable for consumers, he added.

/IANS