Dhaka: The government has authorized the import of 150 tonnes of onions from India through the Hili Land Port in Dinajpur to mitigate the rising prices. “Five importers have got the permission to import the onions,” stated Deputy Assistant Officer of the Plant Quarantine Department of Hili Land Port, Md. Yusuf Ali, on Sunday afternoon.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the government aims to stabilize the domestic onion market by allowing these imports. Each of the five authorized importing companies has been allocated the capacity to import 30 tonnes of onions. Md. Yusuf Ali assured that the necessary support will be provided to facilitate this importation process.
Wholesale trader Md. Riazul Haque noted a price drop in local onions by Taka 10 per kilogram in the last two days following the import announcement. Onions previously priced at Taka 75 per kg are now available at Taka 65 per kg.
President of the Hili Land Port Import-Export Group, Sakhawat Hossain Shilpi, mentioned that the five importers have begun the process of opening Letters of Credit (LCs) for the onion imports. The onion import activities from India are anticipated to commence on Monday.