Agriculture Minister Abdus Shaheed said that the production of onion in the country has increased by 1 million metric tons due to the implementation of the action plan aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in onion production.
He said, ‘We have to face problems with onions almost every year. During the season, so much onion is produced that the farmers do not get the price, as it is perishable and cannot be stored. India suddenly stopped exporting onions, destabilizing the market. That is why the government has implemented the action plan to achieve self-sufficiency in onion production, and the production of onion in the country has increased by 1 million metric tons. The government is giving importance to off-season and summer onion production.
Bangladesh is not only the world’s third largest producer of onion after China and India, but also the top importer. The production target for the current financial year is 36 lakh metric tons. And the demand in the country is 25 to 28 lakh metric tons. That is, not a shortage, but an excess production of onions. Such information is from the Department of Agriculture Extension itself.
According to the information of the Department of Agricultural Extension, the production of onion in the country has increased by 1.5 million metric tons in the last 10 years. And the amount of arable land has increased by almost 50 percent. In the financial year 2011-12, onion production was 2 million metric tons and in 2022-23, it was 3.4 million metric tons on 2.5 million hectares of land. On the contrary, the demand of onion in the country is 28 to 30 million metric tons. Besides, Pabna, Faridpur, Rajbari and Rajshahi are among the top four districts in onion production.
That is, the production is more than the demand by at least 4 lakh to 6 lakh metric tons according to the government. But still more than 7 lakh metric tons of onions have been imported from India alone in the current financial year. So, the question arises why the market cannot be regulated without imports even if production is self-sufficient.
Analysts say that 25 to 30 percent of onions produced in the country are wasted due to various reasons including lack of proper care and storage. As a result, despite the increased production, there is a shortage. And we have to import to meet this deficit. On the other hand, the market remains unstable even in the full season of onions due to weak marketing management and lack of effective surveillance. In this regard, the Director General of the Department of National Consumer Rights Protection. H. M. Safikuzzaman said, “Our experience shows that unscrupulous traders increase the price of products by destabilizing the market by hoarding products. We are monitoring that so that no one can do that in the supply chain.”
The information says that China is the top country in onion production in the world; India is second. And in the last 5 years, Bangladesh has risen from the eighth position to the third position, leaving behind the United States, Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan.
The more surprising information is that Bangladesh is the top importer of onions in the world, followed by the United States. However, for the last five years, 5 lakh to 7 lakh metric tons of onions have to be imported. In addition, the largest exporting country in the world is the Netherlands; India and China followed.
