Staff Reporter :
It will not be a good decision to import onion during the season, say experts. In Bangladesh, the onion season is six months long.
They said, the onion farmers are counting losses for importing onion during its season. It will be a suicidal decision, if the onion is imported during its season.
Sirajul Islam, the Convener of the rally, said, “Our farmers cultivate onions in the hope of making a profit in the busy season.” But in our busy season, onion import from outside the country continues. As a result, onion farmers across the country are in trouble. Today they are selling onions for Tk 600 per maund but their cost is around Tk 1000. So the government should help our farmers by stopping the import of onions in the busy season.
He said, importing onions in the busy season is a suicidal decision. Appeal is, therefore, made to the government not to import onions in full season. If onion import can be stopped for six to eight months, then farmers will be encouraged to cultivate more onions. In the next three to four years, we will be self-sufficient in onions. This requires our awareness and planning.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, a total of 33.62 lakh tonnes of onion was produced in the country in 2020-21 fiscal year.
However, the yearly demand for onion in the country is about 25 lakh tonnes. About 29.55 lakh tonnes of onion were produced locally, while another six to seven lakh tonnes were imported, according to data of the Commerce Ministry.
Since onion is perishable, some 25 percent of the produce gets damaged, as per the data.
