High price of onion

Sudden increase in prices of onion has left the common people in the lurch, since it is an essential ingredient of most of the cooked foods in Bangladesh. The people suffer as the onion price recorded 200 per cent rise in cases. Bangladesh produces major portion of the volume of onion consumed at home and the rest is imported, mostly from India, which is one of the largest onion producers in the world. The Indian government has increased export price of onion to $850 a tonne, up from only $300 a tonne. In Bangladesh's retail market, onion is currently selling at Tk 70 per kg, compared to Tk 25 a kg a few days back. So, we hope the government will take necessary steps including possible dialogue with the traders to restore normalcy in the onion market. When the fixed income group of people have to meet costs of various goods and services every month, the sudden price-hike of onion has added salt to wounds. The government should encourage the farmers through incentives to increase production of essential items such as onion to significantly substitute imports and ensure stable prices of them. There is nothing better than self-reliance on food items.
Masud Rana
Mohammadpur, Dhaka