Onion imports set to resume on Sunday
Onion import through the Hili Land Port in Dinajpur and other ports of the country are set to resume on Sunday, more than five months after India suspended exports of the kitchen staple due to soaring prices in domestic markets.
The prices of the essential cooking ingredient rose sharply in India following a shortage in supply, prompting the neighbouring nation to halt exports to meet domestic demand. The cascade effect left consumers in Bangladesh hard pressed to afford the product.
India finally lifted the restriction on onion exports on February 26, said numerous Hili Land Port traders.
Many traders then sent applications to the Plant Quarantine Centre in Hakimpur upazila of Dinajpur, seeking permission to import 25,000 tonnes of onion, according to officials of the Department of Agriculture extension.
However, the Plant Quarantine Centre has allowed the import of only 8,000 tonnes of onion.
"The first consignment of 8,000 tonnes should arrive through the Hili Land Port on Sunday if conditions remain favourable," said Mobarak Hossain, an importer.
Only five traders, who filed their applications at the end of February, received Import Permission (IP) for onion, he added.
Many importers who filed IP applications in March are yet to receive permission from the ministry, said Harun Ur Rashid, president of the Importers and Exporters Group at Hili Land Port.
IPs are issued from Dhaka after importers file applications online. Once the go-ahead is given, the traders must inspect the onion before it is imported.
"After ensuring that the onion is suitable for import, the product is sent to the land port," he said.
Meanwhile, the market price of locally grown onion witnessed a drop when news began to spread that India would resume exports to Bangladesh in early March.
The price per kilogram of locally grown onions dropped to Tk 20 in the last seven days.
However, India's decision has left local farmers slightly concerned.
Local farmers are always deprived of fair prices as consumers opt for imported onions and this year was no exception, said Ramzan Ali, an onion farmer of Ghugudanga village under Dinajpur Sadar upazilla.
"Onion growers will benefit the most if imports resume halfway through the year," he said, adding that he hopes the government would consider the appeal.
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