A third of Bangladesh's onions are grown in Pabna, so the district matters greatly to the onion economy. A new variety yields three and a half times more at comparatively low cost, and Pabna farmers are writing a story of hope despite this year's crisis. The agriculture department is also optimistic about the new variety, BARI-5.

Farmers and officials say onion shortages usually hit markets in summer, when farmers have no onions left and unscrupulous traders who bought cheaply start manipulating prices. No onion is grown in that season. With this in mind, the Spice Research Centre in Bogura, under the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), developed the BARI-5 onion. It costs less to grow than murikata (bulb-set) or seedling onions but yields several times more: 150 to 200 maunds a bigha for about 30,000 taka, with bulbs weighing 200 to 300 grams.

National award-winning farmer Shahjahan Ali Badsha of Ishwardi said his bulbs have already passed 200 grams and will reach 300. At 30,000 taka a bigha he expects about 200 maunds, which is not usually possible even on an acre, and selling at 1,500 to 2,000 taka a maund could leave a profit of 200,000 to 300,000 taka. The crop needs little fertiliser or chemicals but cannot tolerate water, so the land must be high, with drains where waterlogging is possible; with quick drainage it can be grown all year.

Farmer Shahinuzzaman expects 150 to 160 maunds a bigha, but said seed is a problem: farmers have not yet started producing it. Mokbul Hossain of Ataikula Madhurpur said that while murikata growers worry about recovering costs at low prices, this onion carries no such fear.

According to the agriculture department, BARI-5 has been grown in all nine upazilas of the district, mostly in Sadar, Ishwardi, Santhia, Sujanagar, Chatmohar and Atgharia, on about 70 hectares. Even at 150 maunds a bigha, that would produce about 80,000 maunds.

Dr Jamal Uddin, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Pabna, said field staff are advising farmers, and at these yields the summer shortage could be met, but farmers need more support for seed production and onion storage. Deputy Secretary Kamrul Hasan of the Ministry of Agriculture, who visited, said seed production has not yet reached farmers and needs polynet houses and other technology; without it the variety will lose popularity, and he would discuss support at the ministry.

Source: Jagonews24 (reported by Alamgir Hossain Nabil). First published in Bengali on The Agro News.