High price boosts onion farming

A large number of farmers in Natore are opting for onion cultivation this year due to the high market price of the vegetable used a common cooking ingredient.

However, many of them are failing in their efforts as supply of seedlings is not that much.

"Farmers have cultivated onion on 4500 hectares of land in Natore this year, which is 950 hectares more than our target. We are hopeful of 63,000 tonnes of yield. In last year, onion was cultivated on 3,380 hectares of land," said Subrata Sarker, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Natore.

"An additional 1,000 hectares would be brought under onion cultivation if seedlings were aplenty. Many farmers now want to cultivate onion, especially against the backdrop of its high market price during the last couple of months," he added.

This correspondent recently visited onion fields in different areas of the district and talked to farmers.

"Every year I grow rice but this year I am cultivating onion on two bighas of land due to high prices of the vegetable. After meeting the family's requirement, I will sell the rest in the market," said Abu Bakkar Siddik of Khajura village in Naldanga upazila of Natore.

"For the first time I am cultivating onion on three bighas of land this year. The cultivation cost is around Tk 20,000 per bigha while I am hopeful of 80 maunds of yield per bigha," said Babu Pramanik, a farmer of Barbaria village in Lalpur upazila.

Several farmers, however, expressed frustration over shortage of onion seedlings.

"I have prepared five bighas of land for onion cultivation but I could plant seedlings on only one bigha. The remaining four bighas are still empty due to shortage of seedlings," said Dulal Fakir, a small farmer of Ramnagar village under Natore Sadar upazila.

"Taking the opportunity of shortage of onion seedlings in the local market, a section of people are selling it at high prices this season," he added.

Ashraful Islam, a farmer of Taherpur village of Rajshahi, said he sowed onion seeds on one bigha and got 50 maunds of seedlings this season.

The cultivation cost was Tk 25,000 and the seedlings were sold for Tk 50,000, he said.