Despite adequate local production and having sufficient stock in the country, the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) has been requested to import onion as a precautionary measure to avert possible repetition of price debacle like that of last few years.
The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) put forward a suggestion on Tuesday to take necessary steps particularly before the Eid-ul-Azha for keeping the price of the heavily consumed item under control.
In a letter to the MoC, the consumer rights watchdog body said that during regular monitoring of the market, it found onions were being sold at Tk 40-45 per kg at Shyambazar wholesale market in Dhaka, and Tk 50-55 per kg in the retail markets.
During the same period, the item is being sold at Tk 1,500-1,600 per maund at different mokams (wholesale market) of Pabna and Faridpur districts.
A sufficient quantity of onion has been produced in the country and currently, there is a huge stock of the commodity, the letter mentioned. Farmers spent Tk 20-22 to produce per kg of onion this year.
Despite having adequate local production and stock, the DNCRP noticed that there were attempts of destabilising the onion market, according to the letter.
Considering last years' setbacks, the DNCRP thought that it is the appropriate time to take steps urgently to import onion from neighbouring countries like India, the letter also mentioned.
The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) under the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) generally issues import permits (IPs) on this item. The DAE recently stopped issuing the IPs for more than a month.
When contacted, additional secretary (IIT) of the MoC A K M Ali Ahad Khan said: "We are working on the issue, but yet to take a decision in this regard."
In 2019, the country witnessed an unusual hike in the prices of some essential items, especially onion, the price of which rose as high as nearly Tk 300 per kg.
Bangladesh has a demand for over 2.2-2.5 million tonnes of onion, according to the ministry. It imports an estimated 0.9-1.1 million tonnes to meet the deficit and 90 per cent of the imported onion comes from India.
However, India restricted onion exports first on 29 September in 2019 and later in September 2020 due to their production shortfall.
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