It is the peak of the onion season in Meherpur district. The fields are lush and green, but farmers are uneasy. Many cannot lift onions that are ready in the fields because they are not getting the price they want. Falling prices and a shortage of buyers have left them fearing big losses.

According to the agriculture department, onions were grown on about 5,200 hectares in the district this season, with a production target of about 100,000 tonnes. Production is good, but the collapse in prices has left farmers frustrated.

In the fields of Shibpur village in Mujibnagar upazila, onions cover a vast area, but worry is written on farmers' faces. Many are leaving the crop in the ground rather than lifting and selling it, hoping prices will rise.

Local farmer Abdul Malek of Mujibnagar upazila said: "Onions are now selling at Tk 700 to Tk 800 a maund. At this price we won't even recover our costs. Fertiliser, seed, pesticide, labour: the price of everything has gone up. We are in trouble."

Another farmer, Rafiqul Islam, said: "The same thing happened last year. If it's the same again this time, we will have to stop growing onions. If the government imports at this time, we will be completely ruined."

Saidur Rahman, a farmer of the same village, said: "We work very hard to grow the crop, but if we don't get a fair price in the market, all the labour is wasted. At the current price we are losing Tk 2 to Tk 3 a kilo."

Farmer Nazrul Islam said angrily: "Imports from abroad should be stopped during the onion harvest season. Otherwise the country's farmers won't survive. A fair price for the onions we grow must be ensured."

According to the Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM), it costs farmers about Tk 19 to produce a kilo of onions, but they are selling at Tk 17 to Tk 18 a kilo in the current market, losing money on every kilo.

Traders say prices have fallen because supply is high in the Dhaka and Chattogram wholesale markets, and they are under pressure too.

Agricultural marketing officer Tarikul Islam said: "A letter has been sent to the ministry asking that there be no imports during the peak onion season. We hope a positive decision will come soon."

Sanjib Mridha, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said: "Farmers are being advised not to irrigate the land for 10 to 15 days after lifting the onions. That way the onions can be kept in the field for some time and farmers can wait for a better price."

Overall, despite good production, poor market management and import policy have left Meherpur's onion farmers worried.

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