Rangpur: Farmers are continuing cultivation of onions in full swing with huge enthusiasm amid soaring prices of the essential commodity in all five districts of Rangpur agricultural region. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) officials today told BSS that farmers have started harvesting the tuber variety of onion and getting satisfactory prices as transplantation of onion seedlings will continue till early February.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, market sources reveal that local varieties of onions are being sold at rates between Taka 120 and Taka 130 per kg, while the newly harvested tuber variety onions with leaves are priced between Taka 60 and Taka 70 per kg in local kitchen markets. In response to the growing demand and frequent shortages, the DAE has set a record target of producing 1,45,272 tonnes of onion from 11,931 hectares of land for the current Rabi season in the Rangpur region.
'The record onion production has been set to increase its production and meet local demand by reducing dependence on its import,' said Additional Director (Incharge) of the DAE for Rangpur region, Agriculturist Md Shirajul Islam. In the previous 2024-2025 Rabi season, farmers produced 1,19,811 tonnes of onions by cultivating the crop on 10,223 hectares of land in the region.
In past seasons, farmers achieved significant production numbers, with 1,18,491 tonnes from 10,006 hectares in the 2023-2024 Rabi season and 1,04,263 tonnes from 8,834 hectares in the 2022-2023 Rabi season. 'Till Thursday, farmers cultivated onions on 7,297 hectares of land, achieving 60.91 percent of the fixed farming target for all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, and Nilphamari,' he added.
Farmers have cultivated tuber varieties of onions on 935 hectares and already harvested 535 hectares, yielding 5,156 tonnes of onions with an average yield rate of 9.64 tonnes per hectare. Deputy Director at Burirhat Horticulture Centre in Rangpur, Agriculturist Md Abu Sayem, noted that onion production continues to increase annually in the region due to various governmental initiatives.
The DAE, along with Spices Research Institutes, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, is providing assistance to farmers to ensure the success of the onion cultivation program. Government incentives, including seeds and fertilizers, are aiding small and marginal farmers in expanding onion cultivation in both mainland and char areas.
'Onion production could be enhanced through adopting mixed-relay and intercropping methods, ensuring appropriate crop diversification, and reaching the latest technologies to farmers in the Rangpur region,' added Dr. Sayem.
Local farmers like Rabbi Hossain, Borhan Uddin, and Mokhlesur Rahman from Mithapukur upazila, as well as Niaz Morshed, Ruhul Amin, and Jamal Hossain from Badarganj, Pirgachha, and Gangachara upazilas, shared their experiences of harvesting the tuber variety and preparing lands for further onion cultivation after the Aman rice harvest.