Onion Import Resumes From India

Onion and potato imports have resumed from India through the Hili Land Port after being suspended over slot booking complications.

Imports of other products also began with the entry of trucks loaded with onions on Wednesday (November 27).

Onion and potato imports remained halted for the past two days due to disruptions in slot bookings on the Indian side.

This sudden disruption left traders in both India and Bangladesh in a difficult situation. It rattled the Bangladesh market and pushed up prices of the items.

Bangladesh produced around 36 lakh metric tonnes of onion last fiscal, while the demand hovers around 28 to 30 million MT. About 25 to 30 percent of total production is wasted, forcing the government to import the item to meet the demand.

Bangladesh’s annual demand for potatoes is estimated to be 90 lakh metric tonnes. In the 2022–23 fiscal year, the production was 1.12 crore metric tonnes, according to the Department of Agriculture Extension.