Libya doesn’t want our onions: Libya has banned imports of Egyptian onions due to high levels of residual pesticide, Agriculture Ministry sources told the local press. Libyan authorities have yet to directly contact the Egyptian government about the decision, the sources say. The ban comes about a week after the ministry said Egypt has been exporting onions to Turkey for three months. Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia imposed a temporary ban on the crop for similar reasons, and talks to resolve the issue are expected to take place this month, sources quoted Agricultural Quarantine Authority (AQA) head Ahmed El Attar as saying. Egypt exports 200-250k tonnes of onions per year, making USD 205 mn in revenues from the crop in 2017. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Russia, Oman and the Netherlands have traditionally been Egypt’s biggest importers of onions.

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