Bangladesh to export onions in 2-3 years: Agricultural Minister

Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque on Sunday said, Bangladesh can start exporting onion in two or three years by producing the BARI-4 onions which is a high yield variety the country, UNB reports.

The minister made the remarks while visiting the cultivation and possibility of this variety at Char Mansha village in Bhola sadar upazila.

“We need to import 800,000 to 1 million tons of onions from abroad every year. India puts a bar on exporting onions to us which increases the price in the local market. By distributing the BARI-4 variety not only we will become self-sufficient in onion production and also will be able to export it,” said the minister.

The minister said, earlier the workers could buy 2-3 KG of rice with a day’s earnings but now they can buy 10 kg of rice.

“Due to Covid-19 and Russia, Ukraine war the prices of food products saw a record hike across the globe. We acknowledge that people are struggling as prices of some essential commodities have also increased in the country affected by the global situation. But there is no food crisis in the country and people are not starving,” said Abdur Razzaque.

But some economists, civil society and BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir have been objecting that the country’s economy is dipping and people are dying of hunger as if there is a famine going on, said the minister

The minister said the soil in Bhola is fertile and scientists here have invented new varieties of several crops including paddy, onion, potato, eggplant, mango, and litchi.

“The farmers will benefit if these crops can be grown successfully as the yield of these varieties is high. Revolutionary change will come in agriculture as agricultural production in the country will increase, as well as will not need to import from abroad”, he added.