MAGURA, Sept 17: Common people in Magura are suffering due to abnormal price hike of onion.
During a visit to Puratan bazar of Magura town onion was seen to be sold at Tk 70 per kg in the retail market. As onion is a daily necessary commodity, common people are suffering extremely. They are demanding onion under OMS (open market sale).
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Magura sources informed, 6,590 hectares land was brought under onion cultivation in the district this year and the total production was 85670 tonnes. Harvest was completed within last May.
Fazlul Hoque, a farmer of village Kalundi under Sreepur upazila of Magura said, I brought my two bighas land under onion cultivation this year and I achieved a bumper production. Four months back I sold my onion at Tk 20 per kg in the wholesale market. But now onion is being sold in the retail market at Tk 70 per kg.
Now farmers have no onion in their storehouse. Actually onion is now in the hands of middlemen. They are making money by forming a syndicate, he alleged.
Belal Hossen, a retailer of onion in Puratan bazar of Magura town said, we are purchasing onion from wholesaler at Tk 60 per kg while selling at Tk 70 per kg. Such profit is 'reasonable.'
Tilam Hossen, a wholesaler of onion in Dhaka road area of Magura town said, it is true we purchased local onion at Tk 20 per kg four months back. But now we are not selling local onion. We are collecting onion of Faridpur district at Tk 50 per kg while selling at Tk 60 per kg to the retailers.
Four months back when we collected onion from farmers at Tk 20 we sold it to the retailer at Tk 25 per kg. So the allegation of formation of syndicate is not valid at all.
College teacher Mazedul Hoque of Khan para area in Magura town said, there is no crisis of onion in the local market. But traders are exploiting us by forming a syndicate. Due to lack of proper monitoring by government authority, traders are making money. In this situation open market sale (OMS) of onion by TCB can calm down the market.
NGO worker of Vina area in Magura town Nahida Akhter said, onion price in the local market is now beyond our reach. If onion is sold under OMS, we can heave a sigh of relief.
When contacted District marketing officer Jakir Hossen said, we are monitoring the market regularly. Import cost of onion has increased very recently as onion is being sold in India at Rs 50, that is, Tk 57 per kg at present. Imported onion is now dominating the market, he admitted.
TCB official Robiul Morshed said, TCB has decided to sell onion. We are getting prepared to launch onion sale within a very short time.
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