Farmers expecting bumper onion output in Rangpur region

Farmers and officials are expecting a bumper onion production this season in the Rangpur agriculture region where farming of the essential spicy crop continues.
 
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) officials said farmers are now harvesting the tuber variety of onion and getting rewarding prices as transplantation of onion seedlings will continue till February next.  
 
Considering the growing demand for onions and its frequent shortages, the DAE has fixed an all-time record target of producing 1,21,151 tonnes of onion from 10,149 hectares of land for the region during the current 2024-2025 Rabi season. 
 
"The record onion production has been fixed to enhance its production and meet local demand by reducing dependence on its import," said Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Obaidur Rahman Mondal.
 
Following various pragmatic steps taken by the DAE and other agricultural organisations, the production of onions has continued to increase every year in recent times in the region.
 
During the last (2023-2024) Rabi season, farmers cultivated onion in 10,006 hectares of land and produced 1,18,491 tonnes of onion against the fixed target of producing 1,13,976 tonnes of onion from 9,755 hectares of land in the region.
 
Earlier, farmers produced 1,03,473 tonnes of onion from 8,789 hectares of land during the 2022-2023 Rabi season and 1,01,825 tonnes of onion from 9,163 hectares of land during the 2021-2022 Rabi season in the region.
 
During the current Rabi season, farmers have so far cultivated onion in 7,617 hectares of land, 75.05 percent against the fixed farming target for all five districts in the region.  
      
Meanwhile, farmers have already harvested the tuber variety of onion in 234 hectares of land producing 1,739 tonnes of onion with an average yield rate of 7.43 tonnes per hectare of land. 
 
The DAE, Spices Research Institutes, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute and other organisations are extending assistance to farmers to make the onion cultivation programme a success.
 
"Getting rewarding prices of onion in recent years and government incentives in terms of seeds and fertilisers free of cost, farmers are cultivating onion on more land this time to further increase production," Rahman said.
     
Deputy Director at Burirhat Horticulture Centre in Rangpur of the DAE Agriculturist Md Abu Sayem said onion production could be enhanced by ensuring appropriate crop diversification and reaching the latest technologies to farmers in the Rangpur region. 
  
"After getting assistance and the latest technologies, char people and small and marginal farmers are expanding onion cultivation with huge enthusiasm on both mainland and char areas this season," Sayem added. 
 
Talking to BSS, farmers Yunus Ali, Kamal Uddin and Lokman Hossain of different villages in Rangpur Sadar upazila said they are now harvesting the tuber variety of onion and preparing the same lands for transplantation of onion seedlings by January next.
 
Vegetable retailers Fazlur Rahman at Keranipara kitchen market and Hafizur Rahman at Rangpur City Bazar today told BSS that the newly harvested tuber variety of onion is being sold at rates between Taka 70 and Taka 72 per kilogram.