ZCZC
BSS-42
SUMMER-ONION
Govt plans self-sufficiency in onion by raising its output by 10 lakh MT in next 3 yrs
DHAKA, Nov 1, 2020 (BSS) – The government has taken action plan to increase onion production by 10 lakh tonnes in next three years as the high yielding summer onion has created a prospect of raising onion production in the country to achieve self sufficiency in onion production, said the officials today.
“The Summer BARI-5 onion variety has created enormous potentials to reaching self-sufficiency in onion production, so we want to spread cultivation of the variety across the country”, Agriculture Minister Dr M Abdur Razzaque said online as the chief guest while joining field demonstration day of the variety at Kaligangni village of Meherpur Sadar upazila.
The sample production of the summer variety onion at the demonstration plots found approximately 19 tonnes in per hectare within 2-3 months whereas it is not more than 10-12 tonnes during winter season.
Terming onion as the political issue, Dr Razzaque said “We do not want depending on others for onion..we want to be self-sufficient in onion”. “Crisis has been mounting in the country with the commodity”, he added.
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has organized the field demonstration day where State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossen and Agriculture Secretary M Mesbahul Islam were also attended the function as the special guests.
At the demonstration plots, BARI-5, a summer variety onion, has been cultivated on nearly 25 acres of land in Meherpur upazila by some 179 farmers this year.
To disseminate cultivation of the variety, the minister asked the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) for quick extension of the variety, saying that “the government will provide all sorts of necessary assistance including seed, ingredients and technology to the farmers”.
Dr Razzaque also said that the government will form a committee comprising administrations and the concerned agriculture department at the district and upazila level to ensure farm credit in low interest rate for the onion growers.
As the government is disbursing farm credit with 4 percent interest to the growers for cultivating spices including onion and garlic, but mostly the real farmers are being deprived from the credit, the minister told the function.
“The government will strictly monitor the farm credit disbursement with the committee”, he said.
“We have to take into account regarding cost effective onion production as our target is to fulfill onion shortage in the country”, said the state minister.
“A concrete action plan has been taken to raise onion production by 10 lakh tonnes within the next three years and that’s why we have to raise summer variety onion production”, said Agriculture Secretary in his address.
Chaired by BARI Director General Dr M Nazirul Islam, the programme was also addressed, among others, by Additional Secretary M Hasanuzzaman Kallol and former DAE DG M Hamidur Rahman.
BSS/PR/OG/QC/1926 hrs