RANGPUR, Nov 12, 2022 (BSS) - The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has fixed a target of producing 1,13,976 tonnes of onion from 9,755 hectares of land for all five districts in Rangpur agriculture region during the current Rabi season.

Officials of the DAE said farmers have already started farming early tuber varieties of onion after harvesting short duration Aman rice to harvest those from this month-end and reap better profits.
 
"The DAE has fixed the onion production target taking into consideration its growing onion and high price to meet local demand of the spicy commodity" Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Mohammad Shah Alam said.

During the last (2021-2022) Rabi season, farmers produced 1,03,809 tonnes of onion by cultivating the ctop on 9,163 hectares of land in the region.

"Following different pragmatic steps taken by the government, production of onion continues increasing every year in the last thirteen years to meet its local demand and attain self-reliance," Alam said.
 
Earlier, farmers produced 1,06,205 tonnes of onion during the 2020-2021 Rabi season, 89,970 tonnes during the 2019-2020, 66,886 tonnes during the 2018-2019 and 62,673 tonnes of onion during the 2017-2018 Rabi seasons in the region.

The DAE, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute and Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture are providing quality seeds, training and technologies to farmers for enhancing onion production.

Besides, commercial banks are disbursing easy-term agriculture loans among farmers to make the intensive onion and other winter crops' farming programme successful in the region.

"Farmers will continue sowing the tuber variety of onion seeds till December next while transplantation of onion seedlings will end by the mid-February next," Alam added.

Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md. Mahbubar Rahman said there is a huge potential to enhance onion production by ensuring proper crop diversification and adopting latest technologies.
 
Being inspired by officials of the DAE and other related organisations and some NGOs, farmers are showing more interest in farming onions by directly sowing its seeds, transplanting seedlings and tuber varieties in Rangpur region.

"Char dwellers and small and marginal farmers are getting quality onion seeds and fertilisers as government incentives to cultivate onion on both mainland and char areas for increasing production and reap additional benefits," Rahman said.

 Deputy Director (Leave Reserved) of the DAE at Khamarbari in Dhaka Abu Sayem praised special steps taken by the government to inspire farmers in farming both winter and summer varieties of onion to increase its output and meet local demand.

 Farmers Mofizar Rahman, Abdul Haque, Ramjan Ali and Sohel Rana of different villages in Rangpur Sadar upazila said they have started sowing the tuber variety of onion seeds on their lands after harvesting early varieties of Aman rice.
 
Farmer Ansar Ali of village Kishoregari in Pirganj upazila here said he has already started harvesting his early tuber varieties of onions with leaves and is selling at rates between Taka 25 and Taka 30 per kilogram to reap excellent profits.