The Centre has directed the State Governments to take action against traders who create an artificial shortage of onion. A senior offical of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs told news agency that the State Governments have been directed to intimate the Centre, if there is any bottleneck in the supply chain of kitchen staple, which can cause a rise in prices. The official also said that the Ministry is also considering curbs on overseas sales of onion by increasing the minimum export price to 900 dollars per tonne