BSS, Rangpur :
Farmers have completed harvesting onion producing 1,03,809 tonnes of the spicy crop in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region during the just-ended 2021-2022 Rabi season.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and market sources said price of the locally produced high quality onion is remaining fair and stable between Taka 35 and Taka 40 per kilogram in local markets.
Production of onion continues increasing almost every year during the last 13 years following different realistic steps taken by the government to meet its local demand and attain self-reliance.
“However, the produced 1,03,809 tonnes of onion this time is less by 2,396 tonnes against 1,06,205 tonnes produced during the previous 2020-2021 Rabi season,” said Additional Director of DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md. Emdad Hossain Sheikh.
Earlier, farmers produced 89,970 tonnes during the previous 2019-2020 Rabi season, 66,886 tonnes during the 2018-2019 Rabi season and 62,673 tonnes of the spicy crop during the 2017-2018 Rabi season in the region.
The DAE had fixed a target of producing 1,18,796 tonnes of onion from 9,915 hectares of land for the region during the just-ended 2021-2022 Rabi season.
“However, farmers finally cultivated onion on 9,163 hectares of land, less by 752 hectares against the fixed farming target,” Hossain said.
Despite a little shortfall in the farming target, farmers got a bumper production of the spicy crop and are earning a better profit this year.
After completing harvest last week, farmers produced 1,03,809 tonnes of onion at an excellent average yield rate of 11.33 tonnes per hectare of land.
Farmers are showing more interest in farming onions by directly sowing its seeds, transplanting seedlings and tuber varieties in recent years after being inspired by officials of the DAE and getting incentives from the government.
Getting high quality onion seeds and fertilizers as incentives free of costs, small and marginal farmers cultivated onion on more lands, including on riverine char areas, to increase production. Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Agriculturist Md. Obaidur Rahman Mandal said there is a brighter prospect to enhance onion output by ensuring proper crop diversification and adopting latest technologies.
“The DAE, Spices Research Institutes and other related organizations are working well to further increase onion production for meeting its local demand and attain self-reliance,” he added.
Retail vegetable trader Hafizur Rahman at Rangpur City Bazar here said farmers are selling newly harvested onions at rates between Taka 1,250 and Taka 1,300 per mound (every 40 kgs) to wholesalers.
“After purchasing onion at rates between Taka 1,350 and Taka 1,450 per mound from wholesalers, retailers are selling the same at rates between Taka 35 and Taka 40 per kg depending on the size and quality on an average in local markets,” Hafizur added.
Talking to BSS, farmers Nur Hossain, Golam Mostafa, Abdul Haque and Mossarraf Hossain of different villages in Rangpur said they got a bumper production of onion after completing harvest of the spicy crop this time.
