Delayed cultivation a concern for onion farmers

The cultivation of a variety of onion, known as Kondo in Bangladesh, has been delayed due to excessive rain early this month, when farmers plant seedlings of the crop before harvesting it in early winter.

This means the price of onion may now increase again following the hike in August, when wholesale prices rose to between Tk 2,700 and Tk 3,000 per maund (37 kilogrammes) due to a supply dearth.

At present, each maund of onion is selling for Tk 3,200 to Tk 3,400 at wholesale.

With this backdrop, farmers were preparing their fields for cultivating the Kondo variety as harvesting the crop in early winter would help cater to demand until fresh stocks hit the market in March next year.

However, cultivation in Pabna, the country's biggest onion producing district, was delayed by up to 10 days due to severe waterlogging amid incessant rain.

Md Kamruzzaman, a leading onion farmer who aims to cultivate the Kondo variety on 20 bighas of land in Sujanagar upazila of Pabna, said he usually completes the sowing process by October 15 each year.

"But I had to wait this time as my fields were submerged," Kamruzzaman added while informing that he now plans to begin cultivation after the water recedes sometime next week.

Md Montu Miah, a marginal onion farmer of Ulat village in the same upazila, said he typically cultivates 2 bighas of the Kondo variety to help manage his costs of growing seed onion for the following season.

"But the imminent delay in harvesting the Kondo variety may hamper my seed cultivation," he added.

About 53,270 hectares of land in Pabna were brought under onion cultivation for producing 7.63 lakh tonnes of crop this year, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

Of the total acreage, the Kondo variety will be planted on some 8,600 hectares to produce 1.18 lakh tonnes of the bulb, DAE sources said.

Md Idris Ali, a DAE official in Pabna, told The Daily Star that the delayed cultivation could lead to lower production and higher prices if the weather plays foul yet again.

"Onion cultivation requires suitable weather. So, if we delay cultivation, we may miss the winter spell and subsequently register lower yields," said Montu Khan, another onion farmer of Sujanagar upazila.

On the other hand, Dr Md Jamal Uddin, deputy director of the Pabna DAE, said the delayed cultivation should not cause too much of a problem as the water has already receded from most fields.

"There will be no issue in onion cultivation despite the recent rain as the water has already been removed from the fields. So, cultivation can continue timely," he added.