The murikata (early variety) and summer onions produced in the country will be sufficient to meet the local demand for the next three and half months, said officials concerned on Sunday.

A total of 5,71,534 tonnes of onion has been imported this year which is 1,55,224 tonnes more than the previous year’s import, said sources at the agriculture ministry.

Around 50,000 tonnes of summer onion have already arrived in the market. In addition to that, 8 lakh tonnes of murikata onion will also arrive in the market during the next three and half months, said sources.

Tajul Islam Patwary, director (monitoring wing) of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), told the Daily Sun that a huge amount of summer onion has already appeared in the market. Besides, harvesting murikata onion has also begun. The early variety of onion has started reaching the market. These will be sufficient to meet the local demand for the next few months.

He also said the DAE have fixed a target of producing 36 lakh tonnes of onion in this fiscal year.

The country needs about 25 lakh tonnes of onion each year, according to an estimation of the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission.

As per official statistics, the country produces more onions than its demand during the winter season. However, a big portion – around 25% – of locally produced onion perishes due to a lack of proper storage facilities and an ineffective post-harvest management system, resulting in a shortfall of the product during the lean period.

Harvesting the seasonal onions in the country starts in March every year. Onions produced from seeds during its main cultivation season can be stored for a long time. Around 26-28 lakh tonnes of onion can be harvested in the next season, said the ministry sources.

Onion market volatile again

Following the India government’s recent extension of curbs on onion exports, both local and imported onions were selling at Tk220-240 per kg at different shops in Dhaka city on Sunday.

On Saturday, the price of onion was Tk200 per kg, which was Tk140-120 per kg on Friday.

Forty-three teams of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection fined 80 business organisations across the country around Tk3.7 lakh for charging exorbitant prices for onion on Sunday.

The onion market in the country became volatile after India extended the restrictions on its exports on Thursday (7 December).

Earlier, on 20 August this year, the revenue department of the Indian finance ministry imposed a 40% duty on onion exports, causing a hike in its price.

Later, the Indian government set $800 per tonne as the minimum price for exporting onions. The minimum price came into effect on 29 October this year and was initially valid until 31 December.

The decision to extend restrictions on onion export was taken to increase domestic availability and to keep prices in check, said a notification issued by the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Thursday.