A new batch of onions has started to hit markets in Nilphamari, which has caused prices to drop significantly.
This time the farmers are happy from getting satisfactory prices of new onion, which has also resulted in increased onion cultivation in the district.
Visiting several markets in Sadar upazila, it was found that onion prices in wholesale dropped by Tk5 per kilogram.
Farmers have already began planting onion seedlings for the next season well in advance. They anticipate higher yield if rain does not affect their crops.
Sources at Nilphamari Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said the target for onion cultivation was set to 12.90 tons across 1,400 hectares of land in six upazilas.
Of those cultivated, Taherpuri, Faridpuri and Bari-3 variety of onion yielded the most.
Onion seedlings were planted in two-thirds of the lands in the district this year, according to the DAE office.
If the weather is favourable, plantationof the entire batch of onionswill be completed in the next few days.
Consumers have regained comfort as new stocks of onion have begun to hit the market. There is no possibility of an onion crisis in the markets as a result.
Onion village of Dhobadanga and Kundupukur village of Goragram Union of Baravita and Nilphamari Sadar of Kishoreganj upazila of the district are famous for their onion cultivation.
Hatem Ali, a farmer from Dhobadanga village of Sadar'sGorgramunion, said that this year he cultivated onion on one bighaof land.
"Last year, I cultivated onions in only 25% of land. Hopefully, if the yield is good, I will get about 40 maunds of onion," he added.
Mobarak Mia of Daijan Para, a village in Barawita village of Barawita union of Kishoreganj upazila, said he grewonion every year.
"This year I cultivated onion on one and a half bigha land.l, the cost per bigha of land took me Tk12,000. If the weather was favourable, I would get 60-65 maunds of onion," he added.
Deputy Director of the NilphamariDAE Nikhil Chandra Biswas said that this timearound the farmers are getting good prices for their onion yields, which was higher than last year.
