Onion imports from Myanmar hit seven-year high

COX'S BAZAR, Nov 29: Onion imports from neighbouring Myanmar reached a seven-year high of nearly 45000 tonnes this year, according to official data released by the Teknaf Land Customs Station.
The imports worth around Tk 1.93 billion arrived in the country during the past three months, mostly in November, the data show.
Local importers started to bring in the item from Myanmar since August to pump the widely consumed spice into local market even before the onion crisis began.
Following the short supply mainly due to ban on export of Indian onion, the price of the essential kitchen item peaked at over Tk 260 a kg at retail level. The price, however, is now hovering around Tk 200-Tk 240 a kg at retail level across the country.
In 2013-14 fiscal year, local importers brought in nearly 12,000 tonnes of onion, the second highest volume in seven years, from Myanmar.
The current import prices (C&F or cost and freight up to Teknaf) is Tk 43.6 a kg, which remained stable during this month, the data show.
But the import price was Tk 43.5 a kg during August, September and October. The importers have to pay port charges.
The importers raced to bring in onion from Myanmar after India imposed a ban on shipment of onion to Bangladesh on the grounds of low production.
The ban took effect on September 29.
Local importers have so far procured around 2.0 per cent of annual demand from Myanmar, but the prices at the retail level still remained high.
It is estimated that the Myanmar onion dominate around 60 per cent of market in greater Chattogram.
Contacted, a number of importers told this correspondent that a section of wholesalers have been playing foul, pushing the prices higher abnormally.
Md. Nojibur Rahman, an importer, said they have been selling onion at a low margin, but wholesalers are charging high.
Mohammad Hashem, another onion importer at Teknaf, said they are bringing in onion from Myanmar to meet the present supply shortfall. But the market price did not come down as the import cost and transportation cost is high.
He expressed the hope that the retail price of onion would start to come down from the next week.
Land port sources said 84.132 tonnes of onions were imported from Myanmar in the month of August. The figures for September and October were 3573.14 tonnes and 20,843.02 tonnes respectively.
Contacted, Jasim Uddin, General Manager at the Teknaf Land Port, said onion import from Myanmar has been increasing since October last.
"Everyday 10 to 12 onion-laden trawlers arrive from Myanmar at the Teknaf ghat," he said.
He also said the authorities have made arrangements to unload imported onions immediately after trawlers arrive in land port ghat.
According to land port records, 11,968 tonnes of onion were imported from Myanmar in 2013-14 fiscal year, 2,913 tonnes in 2014-15, and only 3,079 tonnes in 2015-16.
No onion shipment came from Myanmar in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 fiscal years.

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