Traders stops vegetable supply to Pakistan via land route

A day after Pakistan halted onion supplies to India by road, in an act of retribution over 50 Amritsar traders on Friday decided not to export vegetables to the neighbour.

Over 100 trucks loaded with tomatoes and chilies remained parked at the Wagah border as traders retaliated in unison and struck work.

Anil Mehra, president of the retail exporters’ association said they would review their decision on Saturday since vegetables are perishable item.

“We took this decision as when India needed onions, they simply banned its export,” he said in a statement.

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 the remaining comprises chilly, ginger, potato, capsicum, biscuits, raw cotton etc,.

The sudden ban imposed on export of onions has hit the traders of both the countries with Indian importers claiming that Pakistan did not even allow the supply of onion ordered before the ban.

Indian traders claimed that vegetable suppliers in Pakistan had shut down their business in protest against ban on onion export on Thursday.

Notably, over 7,000 tonnes of onion has arrived since the commencement of the vegetable’s export to India from Pakistan via land route.