Onion is an everyday essential. The good news is that the onion yield has been good in Madaripur district this year. This season, onion bulbs, hali onion and onion seed were grown on more land than targeted in Madaripur's five upazilas, to the delight of local farmers.

According to the district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and farmers, this year's target for bulb onion in Madaripur's five upazilas was 4,050 hectares. Thanks to farmers' interest and hard work, it was exceeded, with about 4,262 hectares grown. The target for hali onion was 673 hectares; this year it rose to 694 hectares. For onion seed production the target was 42 hectares, but about 74 hectares were actually grown. Within the district, Kalkini, Dasar and Shibchar upazilas have had good onion yields.

Across the fields of Madaripur there are rows of bulb onions, freshly lifted bulbs in some places and seed flowers swaying in the wind in others. The fields make a fine sight. A large part of the onion crop has already been marketed, and farmers are happy with the good prices. Interest in onion farming in Madaripur is growing day by day.

Anwar Hossain, an onion farmer from Dakshin Ramjanpur village in Kalkini upazila, said: "Onion seed is very expensive in the market now, and our profit is higher from onion seed. That is why we fondly call it 'kalo sona' (black gold). One kilogram of onion seed sells for about Tk 7,000 to 8,000, and sometimes for more. So interest in growing it is rising among farmers here, and we are happy."

Dr Rahima Khatun, deputy director of the Madaripur district DAE, said: "Farmers are being given all-round support for onion farming, including incentives. Besides supplying seed and fertiliser on time, onion growers are being given all kinds of help and advice. That is why onion output has exceeded the target this time. Many people in the district are also becoming interested in onion farming."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.