1.57 Lakh Tonnes Onion to Be Produced in Rangpur Division

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has set a record goal of producing 1,57 lakh tons of onion from 15,950 hectares of land in all eight districts of Rangpur during the current Rabi season.

The DAE officials said that farmers had already started to cultivate early tuber onion from mid-October last year, after cutting short-term Aman rice, to harvest it from the end of November and to reap better profits this season, reports BSS.

'In view of the increasing demand for onion, the DAE has set a record production goal for spicy crops,' Acting Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office here, Agriculturalist Md. Moniruzzaman told media about it.

Under the scheme, the farmers will grow 95,207 tons of onion from 9,750 hectares of land in five districts of the Rangpur agricultural region and 62,000 tons from 6,200 hectares of land in three districts of the Dinajpur agricultural region in the division.

During the last Rabi season, the farmers produced 1,30 lakh tons of onion from 13,844 hectares of land in all eight districts within the two agricultural regions of the Rangpur division.

The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute and Bangladesh Nuclear Agriculture Institute are providing assistance, quality seeds, training and technology to farmers for good onion cultivation.

Besides, the commercial banks, including Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank, are disbursing easy-term agriculture loans among farmers to make the intensive onion and other winter crops’ farming programme successful in the division, Moniruzzaman added.

“Meanwhile, farmers have already completed sowing the tuber variety of onion on 400 hectares in the division till Thursday,” he also said.

Farmers will continue to sow the tuber variety of onion seeds until December next, while onion seedlings will be transplanted by mid-February next.

Talking to the BSS, farmers Ariful Haque, Nur Mohammad, Mizanur Rahman and Mofizar Rahman from different villages in Rangpur said they started planting the tuber variety of onion and onion seeds on their land after harvesting the early varieties of Aman rice.

Vegetable trader Hafizur Rahman at Rangpur City Bazar today told media that early varieties of winter onion will appear on local markets at the end of November.

Talking to media, farmer Dr. MA Mazid, who earned the Independence Medal for 2018 (food security), praised the government's special efforts to encourage farmers to increase their production and meet local demand in both winter and summer farming.

“Proper coordination is needed in reaching the government assistance to farmers for enhancing onion cultivation to increase its production and attain self-reliance of the essential commodity by reducing its import to the zero level,” he added.