13 times more onion yield likely in Rajshahi

Thirteen times more onion yield is expected compared to demand in the district as the government has adopted time-fitting initiatives to boost the spicy crop production by reducing the deficit.

The farmers were given fertilizer, high-yielding seeds and cash money on behalf of the government's agriculture incentive programme.

According to the latest official date given by the local office of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), a target has been set to produce 4,32,300 metric tons of onion through bringing 21,300 hectares of land under onion cultivation in three seasons of the current 2023-2024 financial year in the district.

DAE Deputy Director Mozder Hossain said the farmers have started harvesting early varieties of onion. Around 10,000 metric tons have been harvested in the district till Sunday last.

The price of the crop has started declining amid the arrival of the newly harvested onion in the market. On Sunday, the spicy crop was sold at Taka 160 to 180 per kilogram. With a gap of one day, it was sold at Taka 100 to 120 per kilogram on Monday.

Mozder Hossain said the prospect of an early variety of onion farming and its production is very bright in the region, including its vast Barind tract, as many grassroots growers have become successful in its cultivation during the last couple of years.

The summer onions are being cultivated on 350 hectares of land in the district this season.

To this end, 8,500 farmers were given seeds of N-53 variety free of cost with imparting technical training aimed at making them competent for boosting the yield, he said.

The beneficiary farmers cultivated onion on around 14,000 bighas of land with the seeds, he added.

Currently, farmers are seen passing busy days harvesting the early variety onion at present amid suitable climate conditions everywhere in the region with the hope of expected outputs.

Monirul Islam, 45, of Dhamila village under Godagari Upazila in the district, had cultivated summer onion on around one bigha of land yielding 120 maunds of onion as he sold his produce at Taka 20 to Taka 25 per kilogram last year.

He has cultivated the cash crop on one bigha of land with the raised seedlings on four Katha this year.

"I have transplanted the seedlings," Islam said, adding the crop is being harvested at present.

After witnessing the success of his fellow farmers, Muhammad Bakul, 54, a farmer of Golai village has decided to cultivate the high-yielding and high-value crop on two bigha of land for the first time this year.

He had developed seedlings on five katha of land.

"I had harvested 125 maunds of summer onion from 18 katha of land and attained a lucrative price last year," said Zakir Hossain, another farmer of the same village, adding he will also cultivate the cooking ingredient this season.

He said both climate conditions and topography are suitable for farming and the growers are seen increasing the acreage taking advantage of the situation in the region.

In recent years, some shortages of onions have been experienced in markets during the period from October to December. So, the summer onion has a bigger role towards mitigating the crises to some extent, Hossain opined.

Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer Atanu Sarker told BSS that summer onion farming has created a new dimension in crop diversification and boosted the economic condition of the farmers.

Nazrul Islam, a farmer of the Panthapara area of Paba Upazila, has cultivated 15 bigha of land and is expecting a yield of 120 to 150 maunds from each bigha of land within 95 to 110 days.

He has to spend Taka 20,000 to Taka 30,000 for each bigha of land.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Mariam Ahmed said the marginalized farmers were given incentives to cultivate onions.

Each of the farmers was given one kilogram of seed, 20 kilograms of dominium phosphate and murrete of POTUS for cultivating onion on one bigha of land.

They were also given Taka 2,000 for growing seedlings each.