BSS, Rangpur :
A bumper production of onion is likely in Rangpur agriculture region where harvesting of the spicy crop continues in full swing with excellent yield rate this season.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said a target of producing 1,18,796 tonnes of onion was fixed from 9,915 hectares of land for all five districts in the region during the 2021-2022 Rabi season.
“However, farmers have finally cultivated onion on 9,163 hectares of land, less by 752 hectares of land or 7.58 percent against the fixed farming
target,” said Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Tauhidul Ikbal.
Farmers have cultivated onion on 2,635 hectares of land in Rangpur, 1,410 hectares in Gaibandha, 1,405 hectares in Kurigram, 775 hectares in
Lalmonirhat and on 736 hectares of land in Nilphamari districts of the region.
Despite a little shortfall in the farming target, farmers are expecting to get a bumper production of the spicy crop and earn better profits this year.
“Till Thursday, farmers have harvested onion on 6,961 hectares of land producing 76,935 tonnes of onion with an excellent yield rate of 11.05 tonnes per hectare of land on an average,” he said.
During the last Rabi season, farmers produced a record 1,06,205 tonnes of onion in the region exceeding the fixed production target of 95,207 tonnes by 10,998 tonnes of the spicy crop.
Earlier, farmers produced 89,970 tonnes of onion during the 2019-2020 Rabi season, 66,886 tonnes of onion during the 2018-2019 Rabi season and 62,673 tonnes of onion during the 2017-2018 Rabi season in the region.
“Production of onion continued increasing every year in the last 13 years following different realistic steps taken by the government to enhance production and attain self-reliance in meeting its local demand,” Ikbal said.
The DAE and other agriculture related departments, organisations and institutes implemented various programs to assist farmers in making the intensive onion farming program a success this time.
Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Agriculturist Md. Obaidur Rahman Mandal said Rangpur region has a huge potential to further increase onion production by ensuring proper crop diversification, management and
utilisation of latest technologies.
“The DAE, Spices Research Institutes and other agriculture related institutions and organisations are working to increase onion production to meet its local demand and ultimately reduce its import to the zero level in the future,” he said.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid lauded various steps taken by the government to cultivate onion twice a year to increase its output on the way to attain self-reliance.
Talking to BSS, farmers Suman Mian, Abdul Hakim and Kafil Uddin of different villages in Rangpur Sadar upazila said they are harvesting their cultivated onion and reaping better profits now.
Fazlur Rahman at Keranipara Kitchen Bazar in Rangpur city today said the market price of onion has come down to Taka 20 to Taka 30 per kg after the appearance of plenty of the newly harvested onions in local markets.
