Pakistan's federal government has banned all over-land exports of onions in an effort to curb a rise in domestic onion prices, reports The Express Tribune.
Exports to India, which were commissioned last week by the Indian government to ease India's onion crisis, will come to a halt 'soon', a former Pakistan export official told the paper.But exports to high-value markets will continue by sea, he said.
The Pakistan government imposed the ban in the hope of lowering onion prices on the domestic market, which are double last year's levels due to an onion shortage in neighbouring India.
Rain damage to India's onion crop has caused prices to escalate there, and prompted the Indian government to ban onion exports and scrap onion import tariffs.
Encouraged by the high prices across the border, Pakistani traders began exporting onions to India via the Wagha land route, causing prices to rise in Pakistan.
Onion prices in Pakistan are expected to fall by Rs20 per kg as a result of the road export ban.
