RAJSHAHI, Dec 1, 2023 (BSS) - Prospect of summer onion farming and production is very bright in the region, including its vast Barind tract, as many grassroots growers have become successful in its cultivation during the last couple of years.
 
Currently, farmers are seen passing busy days with nursing of the transplanted seedlings and growing plants amid suitable climate conditions everywhere in the region with the hope of expected outputs.
Within the next couple of days, harvesting of the cash spicy crop will start.
 
Monirul Islam, 45, of Dhamila village under Godagari Upazila in the district, had cultivated summer onion on around one bigha of land yielding 120 maunds of onion as he sold his produce at Taka 20 to Taka 25 per kilogram last year.
 
He has cultivated the cash crop on one bigha of land with the raised seedlings on four katha this year.
 
"I have transplanted the seedlings," Islam said, adding the crop will be harvested within the next couple of days.
 
After witnessing success of his fellow farmers, Muhammad Bakul, 54, a farmer of Golai village has taken the decision of cultivating the high-yielding and high-value crop on two bigha of land for the first time this year.
 
He had developed seedlings on five katha of land.
 
"I had harvested 125 maunds of summer onion from 18 katha of land and attained a lucrative price last year," said Zakir Hossain, another farmer of the same village, adding he will also cultivate the cooking ingredient this season.
 
He said both climate conditions and topography are suitable for its farming and the growers are seen increasing the acreage taking advantage of the situation in the region.
 
In the recent-past years, some shortages of onion are being experienced in markets during the period from October to December. So, the summer onion has a bigger role towards mitigating the crises to some extent, Hossain opined.
 
Sub Assistant Agriculture Officer Atanu Sarker told BSS that summer onion farming has created a new dimension in crop diversification and boosting the economic condition of the farmers.
 
Nazrul Islam, a farmer of Panthapara area of Paba Upazila, has cultivated 15 bigha of land and is expecting yield of 120 to 150 maunds from each bigha of land within 95 to 110 days.
 
He has to spend Taka 20,000 to Taka 30,000 for each bigha of land.
 
Upazila Agriculture Officer Mariam Ahmed said the marginalized farmers were given incentives to cultivate onions.
 
Each of the farmers was given one kilogram of seed, 20 kilograms of dominium phosphate and murrete of potus for cultivating onion on one bigha of land.
 
They were also given Taka 2,000 for growing seedlings each.
 
Mozder Hossain, Deputy Director of Department of Agricultural Extension, said summer onions are being cultivated on 350 hectares of land in the district this season.
 
To this end, 8,500 farmers were given seeds of N-53 variety free of cost with imparting technical training aimed at making them competent for boosting the yield, he said.
 
The beneficiary farmers cultivated onion on around 14,000 bigha of land with the seeds, he added.
 
More than 1,500 volunteers are motivating farmers to cultivate less water consuming crops through water resource management on behalf of the 'Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)' Project.