The cost is not rising even by selling onions, the sacrifice of uncertain farmers
Photo Collected
Like every year, farmer Delwar Hossain of Ghughudah village of Santhia upazila of Pabna kept onions in his house in anticipation of Eid al-Adha. It was hoped that if the price increases before Eid, they will sell those onions and buy cows and buy new clothes for the family. But as Eid is approaching, his worries are increasing. Because the price of onion in the market is still so low that the cost of production is not rising.
Talked to Delwar Hossain at Kashinathpur Hat of Santhia Upazila at around 11:30 on Sunday. He said, every year the price of onion increases a little at this time. I was keeping onions in the house with that hope. But today the market price is not more than 800 to 1 thousand 150 taka per maund. Small onions have to be sold for 500-600 taka. If onions are sold at this price, the sacrifice is far from being possible, and the debt cannot be paid off. Last year I got a good price for onions, so I sacrificed. But this time, due to the huge losses, I will not be able to make the sacrifice.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Thousands of onion farmers of Santhia Upazila are in the same dilemma as Delwar. In this upazila, which is known as the storehouse of onions, many farmers buy sacrificial animals, repair houses, and do Eid shopping for their families with the money from onion sales every year. But this time, despite the good yield, the ‘Eid economy has come to a standstill due to the collapse of market prices.
Talking to the farmers, it is known that the yield of onion has been very good this year due to favorable weather conditions. Many farmers got 70 to 80 maunds of desi onion per bigha. Hybrid varieties yielded more. However, despite the increase in production, they are in trouble due to the decrease in market prices.
বিজ্ঞাপন
According to the upazila agriculture office and farmers’ calculations, this time, about 1500 taka has been spent on the production of onion per maund. But now good onion is being sold in the market at the price of 800 to 1 thousand 150 taka. The price of small onions is even lower, 500 to 600 taka.
Zahiruddin of Chomarpur village of Santhia upazila said, ‘We buy one cow every year to sell onions. Now it seems that I will not be able to make sacrifices. It is difficult to run the expenses of the family.
This morning, going to Kashinathpur and Karamja Chaturhat in Santhia, it was seen that the farmers brought sacks of onions but they were not relieved. Many people are taking onions home instead of selling them because the price is low. However, there is also a risk of onion spoilage if kept indoors for a long time. In the meantime, the farmers said that the onions stored by some farmers have started rotting.
Abdul Munnaf, an onion trader and artdar of Karamja Chaturhat, said that the pressure of onion in the market is very high this time. There are still plenty of onions in the farmer’s house. But the buyers are less than that. So the price is not increasing. Farmers are selling at a loss. Usually, before the Eid al-Adha, onion sales increase in the market. From cow markets to cloth shops to gold shops—it affects everywhere. But this time there is no such image.
Anwar Hossain, the owner of a clothing shop in Santhia town area, said that other years, the farmers of the village used to come to the market with their families before Eid. This time the sale is less than before. People are cutting costs.
Local gold traders are also saying the same thing. According to them, every year before Eid there is pressure to buy jewelery from farmer families. This time the buyer is very less.
According to the Upazila Agriculture Office sources, onion has been planted on 16 thousand 697 hectares of land in Santhia this year. Most of these are Hali style onions. This time the total production is 290 thousand 299 tons. Till date, 2 lakh 46 thousand 500 tons of onions are stored in the farmer’s house. Due to good yield, the market supply has increased several times.
Santhia Upazila Agriculture Extension Officer Junaid Al Sadi said, this time the yield of onion has been very good. Prices have fallen due to oversupply in the market. Farmers are advised to save and sell later at a good price.
However, the farmers say that only conservation advice will not solve their problems. Because, they need money right now to pay their debts, workers’ wages and family and Eid expenses. So we have to sell onion even knowing the loss.
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