Madhukhali (Faridpur) Correspondent :
Due to the massive import of onion in different markets of Madhukhali upazila, onion is being sold at wholesale price of Tk 12-16 per kg. Apart from the two-day market on Friday and Monday, the biggest market of Madhukhali Sadar of the upazila also has onion market every day. Onion farmers from different unions of the upazila including Bagat, Korkadi, Megchami, Bamundi, Jahapur, Boalia, Kamaldia came to the market with onions. Onion and Monday imports are much higher. The presence of onions caused long traffic jams on the Dhaka-Khulna highway. Due to the fall in onion prices, farmers have lost their way with onions.
During the season, traders from different districts including the capital Dhaka, Barisal and Khulna buy about 90,000 onions from the houses of 25 to 30 storekeepers from Madhukhali at each market. Wholesalers are buying onions at Rs 500 to Rs 600 per ounce. Traders are selling it in the retail market at a price of 18 to 25 rupees.
Several farmers who came to sell onions in the market said that it is difficult for us to make a living by farming at the price at which we are selling onions. Where I have spent 1 thousand to 11 hundred rupees per man, I am not getting anything. Many farmers are seen returning home with their onions in the hope of getting higher prices.
Russell Ahmed, a farmer from Byasadi village in the upazila, said he has cultivated onions on 10 per cent of one acre of land. We hope to produce more than 200 manas. But I am worried about the fall in onion prices in the market.
UNB from Kushtia adds: Continuous falling prices of onion in the market is making it difficult for Kushtia farmers to recover the production cost in spite of a good harvest this year.
Wholesale prices of onion was at Tk 15 to 20 per kg while retail price of onion was at Tk 400 to 800 per maund, the UNB reporter saw during a visit to the largest onion market of Kushtia at Ponti in Kumarkhali upazila on Friday.
According to farmers they are getting some Tk 400 to 500 less profit per maund this year compared to the last two years.
According to the Kushtia Agricultural Extension Department, onions have been cultivated in 13,734 hectares of land in the district during this Robi season (October 15 to March 15).
Onion prices started falling immediately after the new harvest arrived in the market as the retail price was at Tk 35 to 40 per Kg just two weeks ago.
“Production of per Kg onion has cost a farmer some Tk 25 to 35 including the prices of seeds, pesticides, workers, transport. The farmers are counting a loss of Tk 10 to 18 selling the onions at Tk 15 to 17 at the market
Due to good weather some 60 to 80 maunds of onion have been produced per 27,00 square feet of land (1 Bigha) this season, said Faridh Sheikh, a onion farmer from Jotmora village in Kumarkhali Upazila.
Some 400 villagers of tobacco cultivation based village Kamardangavillage in Mirpur upazila cultivated onions in their lands instead of tobacco, said Abdus Sattar, an octogenarian farmer of the village.
“With the falling price of onions we will lose interest in onion cultivation,” he said.
Kushtia District Agriculture Extension Office (Khamarbari) Additional Deputy Director (Crops) Bishnupad Saha said “As the price of onion in the market is now on the decline farmers will face losses if they sell onions.”
He advised to preserve onions in the local method at the farmer level without selling now.
