The target price of this commodity was set between $240 and $260 per ton.
The export process has been picking up pace with the passage of time as the Indian importers have asked Pakistan's exporters to send consignments through train (from Lahore to Amritsar) and on boats besides larger vessels. "Through boats some 800 ton onions have been exported till now and through train 40 tons have reached Amritsar," said Imtiaz Hussain, an office-bearer of Fruit Vegetable Processors and Exporters Association on Tuesday.
He said that Indian agriculture quarantine department had also approached China and Thailand for onion import and last week received 2000 tons onions from China and 800 tons from Thailand.
"When they got consignments from these two countries, they demanded of us to cut prices by $80 per ton and set between $160 and $180 per ton which stood at $240 per ton," Imtiaz said, adding that when they refused to do so, they stopped imports from Pakistan because China agreed to $140 per ton rate.
However, as the quality of Chinese onion was not up to the mark as it is mostly used in making poultry feed and is available in yellowish colour which can not be widely use for cooking purposes.
Pakistan's exporters still have enquiries from different places in India including Puna, Calcutta, Nasik, Mumbai, New Delhi and Amritsar.
The countries, which got onion from India prior to the heavy rains, have also approached Pakistan, including Bangladesh, Mauritius and Maldives, for onions and Pakistan's exporters are of the view that they would not slash the price according to the Indian demand but could bring it up to $200 per ton.
The exporters have ruled out the possibility of onion shortage in the country due to exports and said that Nasik would start producing onion in the first week of December and this trade would come to an end by December 2005 because India would be able to produce sufficient stocks for its local needs.
Sindh and Balochistan are the biggest onion producers in the country, followed by NWFP and Punjab, and Pakistan is quite fortunate that it produces onion throughout the year.
Pakistan's onion is being sold in the Indian retail market at Rs 30 per kg, while in the wholesale market it is available at Rs 20 to Rs 22 per kg.
Pakistan's onion exporters have also appealed to Indian quarantine department not to erect unnecessary obstacles in the way of this trade as the quarantine department of India clears the consignment after two days while its transit time is just 38 hours.