The agriculture ministry wants to stop import of onions during full harvesting season to ensure fair prices for the marginal farmers in the country. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked the ministries concerned and other stakeholders for taking a decision on the issue through dialogue, when the agriculture ministry placed a proposal at the last Cabinet meeting.

Agriculture minister MA Razzaque said this while talking to reporters, after a meeting with a six-member US delegation, led by Christopher Wilson, assistant US Trade representative for South and Central Asia, along with the US ambassador to Bangladesh, Earl Robert Miller, at the Secretariat yesterday. The minister said he requested the Prime Minister to stop importing onions to ensure a fair price for farmers.

The Indian government had imposed a ban on exporting onions from September 29 last year due to shortage and price hike. After a five-month ban, the Indian government announced to lift the ban on onion exports on February 26. After India's ban on exports, there was instability in Bangladesh’s onion market and onions were sold at Tk. 280-300 per kg.

When asked, MA Razzaque said: “We are hoping that production of onions will be satisfactory this year. We are very optimistic as onions are being cultivated over large areas. A high- yielding new variety of onion has been developed. If this is cultivated, there will be no onion problem in Bangladesh, inshallah. Production of new varieties of onion will be almost double compared to the old ones. The new varieties of onion would yield 18-19 tonnes per hectare, while the old ones yield 10-11 tonnes.”

The prices of onions will go down within the next two weeks after arrival of new onions in the market, the minister said. Hailstorm has damaged some onions in Faridpur, the minister said, adding that hailstorm in the month of Falgun is unheard of. He also observed that such unexpected weather is the result of climate change.

“We discussed onions at the last cabinet meeting. The commerce minister had placed the matter before the Prime Minister. We informed the Cabinet that the areas of onion cultivation have increased this year,” Razzaque said. The minister hoped that there will be no onion problem in the days to come. “I requested the Prime Minister to stop importing onions during the start of the onion harvest. Indian onions cannot be allowed to flood the market at that time. It would affect Bangladesh’s farmers. So, we want to ensure a fair price of onions for farmers so that they feel encouraged to expand onion cultivation,” Razzaque said in reply to a query. The commerce ministry is aware of the matter and cautious in this regard, he added.

When asked what was the PM’s reaction regarding the proposal to stop import of onions during the harvesting season, the agriculture minister replied: “She suggested that the matter should be discussed with the finance ministry and other related ministries and departments. She also suggested that the matter should be dealt with cautiously. We will, of course, have to consider the farmers’ interest. Harvesting of onions will start in the third week of this month (March).”

Regarding meeting with the US delegates, the agriculture minister said Bangladesh imports cotton from the USA and they want to complete fumigation from their end only. “A harmful insect cotton ball is in cotton. So, Bangladesh fumigates imported cotton at Chattogram as per the law of the land. But the US authorities requested the Bangladesh government to avoid double fumigation, as the product was fumigated in the USA before being exported to Bangladesh,” Razzaque said.

He, however, said Bangladesh did not agree on the US proposal as it is needed to change the law. A Bangladesh team will visit the US during the next cotton season to see the fumigation process, he added. The minister said Bangladesh also sought technical assistance from the US government for mechanisation of Bangladesh’s agriculture. Bangladesh already has become self-sufficient in granular food production, the Agriculture Minister said. “We want to make agriculture a commercial sector,” he added.

JG