Onion import may be allowed soon

The government may soon allow onion imports as prices of the cooking ingredient are increasing in the domestic market, according to Agriculture Secretary Wahida Akhtar.

Onion imports have been temporarily stopped considering the interests of local farmers, she said in a meeting on onion prices yesterday.

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As per ministry data, 34 lakh tonnes of onion were produced in the country this year and about 18.30 lakh tonnes of the vegetable are now in stock.

She said considering production and stock, there is no reason to increase onion prices in the country at the moment, but the market price is a bit high.

"The agriculture ministry is constantly monitoring the onion market. Onion import will be considered soon if the price is on the upward trend," she added.

On Thursday, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said the government will remove barriers on onion imports if prices of the bulb continue to rise.

Over the last month, retail prices of locally grown onion surged 85 per cent to Tk 60-70 per kilogramme in Dhaka from Tk 30-40 a month ago.

Prices of imported onions rose 59 per cent during the same period, showed prices data compiled by the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh.