Photo: Messenger
Jhenaidah farmers have achieved success in cultivating summer onions during the early winter season, bringing joy to the farming community as onion prices have started to rise in the current high-price market.
The increased cultivation of summer onions is expected to have an impact on market prices, and both agricultural officials and farmers believe that expanding summer onion production can meet demand and be financially profitable for the farmers.
For the 2022-23 fiscal year and the upcoming Kharif 2023-24 season, the collection of summer onions has commenced in the district. These onions are being sold directly from the farmers' fields, according to agricultural officials.
In the upcoming summer season, summer onions are being cultivated on 3,500 acres of land in the district, with 2,000 acres already harvested. The remaining 1,500 acres of land will begin collecting onions in the next 20 to 30 days. Agriculture officials report an average yield of 45 to 50 maunds of onions per acre.
On November 3, 2023, Md. Jahidul Islam Biswas, the additional deputy director (crops) of the Jhenaidah Department of Agriculture, inspected activities at the Kalukhali field in the Kaligunj upazila of the district. Present at the time were upazila agriculture officer Md. Mahbub Alam Roni, district agriculture extension officer Md. Akhtaruzzaman Mia, and assistant agriculture officers Jahurul Haque and Tania Sharmin.
A farmer from Kalukhali village in the Trilochanpur union of Kaligunj upazila, Mr. Kamruzzaman, mentioned that he had cultivated summer onions on one acre of land in the previous season. In the last two days, he has sold about 35 maunds of onions from his 15-decimal land.
Md. Mahbub Alam Roni, upazila agriculture officer, stated that in the current season, summer onions are being cultivated on 300 acres of land (equivalent to 40 hectares) in Kaligunj upazila. Some farmers have already started collecting onions, reporting an average yield of 60 to 70 maunds of onions per acre. He also noted variations in yields across different fields.
Roni emphasized that if local farmers continue to cultivate onions throughout the year, they can meet their own demand and achieve economic profitability. This is the reason behind initiating summer onion cultivation. Increasing summer onion production can stabilize the market and create economic opportunities, according to agricultural officials.
Md. Jahidul Islam Biswas, additional deputy director (crops) of the Jhenaidah Department of Agriculture, explained that the cultivation of summer onions has begun to meet the additional demand for onions. They provided onion seeds to 3,500 farmers in two phases during the last summer season, and now it has started to yield results. He believes this will help partially fulfill the people's demand for onions.
Messenger/Fardin
