More farmers in Rajshahi cultivate onion this year
Farmers in three upazilas of the district have brought vast tracts of land under onion cultivation as its cultivation proved to be more profitable than other crops.
Some 15,570 hectares of land have been brought under onion cultivation in the district this year against 14,622 hectares last year.
Farmers are showing interest in onion cultivation as its production cost is lower this season due to low price of its seeds. On the other hand, the market price of the produce is higher than last year's initial rates.
A large number of farmers in Durgapur, Bagmara and Puthia upazilas have been cultivating various varieties of onion including Taherpuri variety.
After visiting different areas, it was found that the farmers were busy in cultivating onions on their fields.
Onion cultivator Ayub of Ratanpur village in Durgapur upazila said he cultivated onion on two bighas of land last year. “But, I brought four bighas of land under onion cultivation this year as I got high price of my produce last year.”
Another cultivator, Sajjad, of Lakkhipur village in the upazila, said the onion production will increase this year if favourable weather prevails and no fertiliser and insecticide crisis arises.
He said the farmers are becoming more interested in onion cultivation as they got fair price of their produce in the famous weekly onion market, Taherpur Bazaar.
A huge quantity of onions is marketed at Taherpur Bazaar every year.
Onion traders from all over the country, particularly from Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet, come in barges to the bazaar on the bank of the Baronai River.
They hire 'chung' (space under rooftop of a house), buy and store onions and carry the stock by waterway to their trading centres during the season.
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