Farmers wait for the auction of onions at Lasalgaon market in Nashik district in the western state of Maharashtra, India, December 19, 2018. "The export duty will make Indian onions more expensive than those from Pakistan, China, and Egypt. Onions are used as the base for traditional dishes across Asia such as biryani in Pakistan and India, belacan in Malaysia and fish curry in Bangladesh. "The Indian duty would prompt China and Pakistan to raise prices, as they have a limited surplus for exports," said the second exporter. India surprised buyers last month by imposing a ban on widely consumed non-basmati white rice sales to dampen price rises.

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Persons: Rajendra, Ajit Shah, Rajendra Jadhav, Swati Bhat, Nikunj, Toby Chopra, Clelia Organizations: Insight, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Nashik district, Maharashtra, India, Delhi, Pakistan, China, Egypt, Mumbai, El, Bangladesh, Nepal, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Asia, belacan