LAHORE: Paksitan Fruit and Vegetable Association (PFVA) on Wednesday announced to stop the export of the onion for the next 15 days. 

PFVA Chairman Waheed Ahmed said the onion export will remain suspended from November 3 to November 18, the TV channel reported. 

The association took the decision in order to bring stability in prices in the domestic market and in a bid to provide relief and a good package to Sindh farmers on the upcoming onion crop that is due to hit the local markets in the mid of November. 

The chairman said PFVA is working side by side with the federal government for measures to lower the inflation in the country. It has been reported that the hoarders benefited from the onion exports and with an increase of Rs800 per maund the onion price in Pakistan reached Rs2,800 per maund in a single week. 

The TV channel reported that onion export led to a situation in Sindh where farmers were starting to collect raw onions to meet the deadlines and market demand. 

It may be mentioned here that the major growing areas of onion crop are Kasur, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Vehari, Khanewal, DG Khan, and Jhang in Punjab, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Sukkur, Naushero Feroze and Badin in Sindh, Swat in NWFP and Mastung, Kalat, Chaghi, Khuzdar and Turbat in Balochistan. 

However, more than 50 percent of the total production comes from seven districts, namely, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Swat, Mastung, Kalat and Turbat.