Chattogram Bureau :
The wholesale traders of Khatunganj are selling Chinese onions at Tk 30 per kg. According to the quality of the Chinese onions, the highest price is Tk 60 per kg. During the crisis period, wholesale price of these onions was Tk 80-100 and retail price was Tk 130.
The influx of Chinese onion prices has reduced the prices onions, and Myanmar onions.
On Wednesday, the wholesale price of Turkey onion was Tk 80 and Myanmar onions was Tk 100 per kg in Khatunganj wholesale market.
The wholesale traders said, various reasons including rise in imports, truck sales of the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), reduction in demand, entry of the local onions brought down onion prices.
Chinese onion was sold at Tk 60 in the retail shops of Askar Dighi area of Chattogam and Tk 65-70 in Kazir Dewri area. Retailers say the taste of Chinese big onions is much lower than the local, Indian and Myanmar onions. But the sale of Chinese onions is quite well because of the comparatively lower price.
Mohammad Idris, General Secretary of Hamidullah Market Merchants Association in Khatunganj, said that the supply of Myanmar, China and Turkey onions had increased.
Demand and sales are both lower in the wholesale market than supply. Fall in price of onion causing concern among the importers. Responding to a question, he said there is no loss or profit on the onion price hike or falling.
We only get Tk .30 per kg. Deputy Director of the Plant Quarantine Center of Chittagong Seaport Md Asaduzzaman Bulbul said that from 12th October to Wednesday (11th December), permission of import (IP) from Plant Quarantine Center of Agriculture Extension Department was taken to import 1,04,735 tons.Already, 18, 799 tons of onion has been released from Chittagong port.
Of these, 6,511 tons imported from Egypt, 4, 640 tons from China, 1, 487 tons from Myanmar, 4,866 tons from Turkey, 553 tons from the UAE, 861 tons from Pakistan and 140 tons from Sri Lanka.
Deputy Director of Chittagong Seaport Branch of the Plant Quarantine Center Md Asaduzzaman Bulbul said, “We are giving the highest priority to the issue of IP for the import of onions, the issue of exemption of the plant quarantine center from the port.
