Kushtia onion farmers struggle with production cost amid falling price

Continuous falling of onion prices in the market is making it difficult for Kushtia farmers to recover the production cost in spite of a good harvest this year.

Retail prices of onion was at Tk 15 to 20 per kg while wholesale price of the crop was at Tk 400 to 800 per maund at the largest onion market of Kushtia at Ponti in Kumarkhali upazila on Friday.

According to farmers they are getting some Tk 400 to 500 less profit per maund this year compared to the last two years.

According to the Kushtia Agricultural Extension Department, onions have been cultivated in 13,734 hectares of land in the district during this Robi season (15 October to 15 March).

Onion prices started falling immediately after the new harvest arrived in the market as the retail price was at Tk 35 to 40 per Kg just two weeks ago.

“Production of per Kg onion has cost a farmer some Tk 25 to 35 including the prices of seeds, pesticides, workers, transport. The farmers are counting a loss of Tk 10 to 18 selling the onions at Tk 15 to 17 at the market.

Due to good weather some 60 to 80 maunds of onion have been produced per 27,00 square feet of land (1 Bigha) this season, said Farid Sheikh, a farmer from Jotmora village in Kumarkhali upazila.

Some 400 villagers of tobacco cultivation-based village, Kamardanga, in Mirpur upazila cultivated onions in their lands instead of tobacco, said Abdus Sattar, an octogenarian farmer of the village.

“With the falling price of onions we will lose interest in onion cultivation,'' he said.

Kushtia District Agriculture Extension Office (Khamarbari) Additional Deputy Director (Crops) Bishnupad Saha said, “As the price of onion in the market is now on the decline farmers will face losses if they sell onions.”

He advised to preserve onions in the local method at the farmer level without selling now.