RANGPUR, Nov 6, 2020 (BSS) – The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE)
has fixed a record target of producing 1.57 lakh tonnes of onion from 15,950
hectares of land in all eight districts of Rangpur division during the
current Rabi season.
The DAE officials said farmers have already started cultivating early tuber
variety of onion from mid-October last after cutting short duration Aman rice
to harvest those from end of November and reap better profits this season.
“Considering growing demand of onion, the DAE has fixed a record production
target of the spicy crop,” Acting Additional Director of the DAE at its
regional office here Agriculturalist Md. Moniruzzaman told BSS.
Under the programme, farmers will produce 95,207 tonnes of onion from 9,750
hectares of land in five districts of Rangpur agriculture region and 62,000
tonnes from 6,200 hectares of land in three districts of Dinajpur agriculture
region in the division.
During the last Rabi season, farmers produced 1.30 lakh tonnes of onion
from 13,844 hectares of land in all eight districts under the two agriculture
regions of Rangpur division.
The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation, Bangladesh
Agriculture Research Institute and Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear
Agriculture are providing assistance, quality seeds, training and
technologies to farmers for triumphant onion cultivation.
Besides, the commercial banks, including Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank, are
disbursing easy-term agriculture loans among farmers to make the intensive
onion and other winter crops’ farming programme successful in the division,
Moniruzzaman added.
“Meanwhile, farmers have already completed sowing the tuber variety of
onion on 400 hectares in the division till Thursday,” he also said.
The 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.
Talking to BSS, farmers Ariful Haque, Nur Mohammad, Mizanur Rahman and
Mofizar Rahman of different villages in Rangpur said they have started sowing
the tuber variety of onion and onion seeds on their lands after harvesting
early varieties of Aman rice.
Vegetable trader Hafizur Rahman at Rangpur City Bazar today told BSS that
early varieties of winter onion would appear in local markets from the end of
November.
Talking to BSS, Agriculturist Dr. MA Mazid who got Independence Medal-2018
(food security), lauded the special steps taken by the government to inspire
farmers in farming both winter and summer varieties of onion to increase
output and meet local demand.
“Proper coordination is needed in reaching the government assistance to
farmers for enhancing onion cultivation to increase its production and attain
self-reliance of the essential commodity by reducing its import to the zero
level,” he added.