Anisul Islam Noor :
A record production target of 19 lakh tonnes of onion from 1.90 lakh hectares land has been fixed for the current Robi season, Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) sources said.
Under the programme, over 8.55 lakh tonne onion, about 45.04 per cent of the fixed national target will be produced from 85,579 hectares land in the country’s northern region this time and the farmers have already started in full-swing for cultivation of the essential spicy crop.
Meanwhile, the early variety winter onion has already appeared in the local markets keeping its price reasonable within Taka 25 to 30 per kilogram.
The government has fixed an average yield rate at 10 tonnes of onion per hectare for the current season. Farmers are also reportedly taking special interests in the cultivation of this spicy crop because of its high price for the last several years. The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation, commercial banks and Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank and NGOs have taken a number of steps to make the government’s onion farming programme a success.
The steps include distribution of high quality seed, disbursements of easy-term agri-loans at lower interest rates, providing training, technical assistance and inputs under various programmes.
DAE Deputy Director Zulfiquer Haider said that onion import decreases every year as its production continues to increase following various measures taken by the government. And the crop is now being cultivated twice a year in place of only once during the winter in the past.
Besides, the farmers have been showing more interests in farming onion to earn better following disbursement of easy-term agri-loans and easier availability of the high quality seed in the northern region as well as other parts of the country.
Onion production has been increasing in recent years as huge amount of the allocated agri-loans is being disbursed among the farmers to increase farming of the crop though the same had been remaining idle with the banks in the pasts, he added.
Horticulture Specialist Khondker Md. Mesbahul Islam said production of both winter and summer variety onion has been increasing every year to reduce import of this essential commodity and also to achieve self-reliance.
According to experts, there is no alternative to increasing production of onion as the nation still imports huge quantities of onion annually spending had-earned foreign currency to meet the growing local demand.
