Govt allows to import 1,500 tonnes of onions from India
The government has ultimately decided to turn to India for onion imports. On Sunday, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), an agency under the Ministry of Agriculture, granted permission to import 1,500 tonnes of onions from India.
The import permission is known as an IP (Import Permit). A total of 50 importers have been issued IPs.
However, no importer will be allowed to import more than 30 tonnes of onions, and no one can apply for a second permit. The validity of the import permits will remain until 31 March 2026.
As the retail price of onions crossed Tk 150 per kilogram within a week, the Ministry of Agriculture announced yesterday, Saturday, through a notice that import permission would be granted. The notice also stated that only those importers who had applied for IPs since 1 August would be eligible.
According to sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension, around 3,500 applications for IPs have been submitted so far. Today, 50 applications were selected through an automated system. Those who managed to log into the server first were considered for the IPs.
Banti Joyswal, proprietor of Bijoy Enterprise located near the Hili border, told Prothom Alo over the phone that he tried all day today but could not log into the server. He said he would try again tomorrow.
He also felt that the allowed quantity of 30 tonnes per importer was too low.
Commerce adviser Sheikh Bashiruddin told journalists on 9 November that if prices did not come down, onion IPs would be issued within a week; however, if prices returned to normal, they would not be issued. That announcement has taken effect about a month later.
A year ago, the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC) advised the government to look for alternative sources for onion imports instead of relying solely on India.
The suggested sources included Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, China, and Myanmar. Over the years, Bangladesh has imported onions mainly from India as well as from Myanmar. Smaller quantities were also imported from China and Turkey.
A report published on 28 November in India’s The Economic Times, citing experts, said that at one time nearly one-third of India’s onion exports were destined for Bangladesh. However, over the past eight months, Bangladesh has purchased only a very small quantity of onions from India, even though onion prices in Dhaka are almost three times higher than in India’s domestic markets.
Meanwhile, sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension said onion production in the country is increasing. Production stood at 3.42 million tonnes in fiscal year 2022–23, 3.79 million tonnes in 2023–24, 4.25 million tonnes in 2024–25, and 4.26 million tonnes already before the end of fiscal year 2025–26. Annual demand for onions in the country ranges between 2.5 and 3 million tonnes. Some of the total production is kept for seed, and some is lost to spoilage, resulting in supply tightness toward the end of the season.
Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension, SM Sohrab Uddin, told Prothom Alo, “Considering consumer interests, 50 IPs were issued today, and more will be issued. On the advice of the Ministry of Agriculture, this process will continue depending on the situation. However, once onion prices come down, import permissions will be stopped, because we also have to think about farmers.”
Meanwhile, Prothom Alo’s Birampur correspondent in Dinajpur reported that at around 4:15pm today, a truck carrying 30 tonnes of onions entered Bangladesh from India through the Hili land port. The last time onions were imported from India through this port was on 30 August this year.
Atik Hasan, proprietor of the onion importing firm Messrs Rocky Traders, said letters of credit (LCs) had been opened at USD 250 per tonne for onion imports from India. The price per kilogram of onions is coming to 12 rupees, and including transport costs up to the port, expenses may reach 18 rupees per kilogram.
Following the import announcement, onion prices in Dhaka’s retail markets dropped slightly within a day today. Onions were selling at Tk 140 per kilogram. The situation in Chattogram’s retail markets is similar. Our Chattogram office reported that due to news of the import permission, onion prices at the Khatunganj wholesale market—one of the country’s largest—fell by Tk 25 to Tk 30 per kilogram.