Amid rising tensions along the Line of Control, the government has shortlisted Pakistan among the countries from where it plans to import onions in order to tide over the shortage of the staple.

The Centre on Wednesday settled on the import option, identifying, besides Pakistan, China, Iran and Egypt to source onions and help ease the domestic supply shortage.

Announcing a clutch of measures amid concerns about the political repercussions of spiraling onion prices, the government has set the minimum export price (MEP) of onion at $650 per tonne to discourage exports.

The public-sector agriculture marketing company NAFED – National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation of India — will import onion “at best rates and offer the same for domestic consumption in the country”.

At present, the onion price is the cheapest in Iran followed by China, Egypt and Pakistan, a government source said. The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting on Wednesday.