RAJSHAHI, Sept 10, 2022 (BSS) - Prospect of summer onion 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 transplanting seedlings amid suitable climate conditions everywhere in the region with the hope of expected outputs.

Muhammad Bakul, 54, a farmer of Golai 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 is taking preparation for cultivating the cash crop on one bigha of land and raised seedbed on four katha for the farming this year.

"I will transplant the seedlings within the next week," Bakul said, adding the crop will be harvested within the end of next November or early December.

After witnessing success of his fellow farmers, Monirul Islam, 45, of Dhamila village has taken decision of cultivating the high-yielding and high-value crop on two bigha of land for the first time this year.

He has 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 Shafiqul Islam said the marginalized farmers were given incentives to cultivate onion.

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 they are expecting summer onions will be cultivated on 266 hectares of land in the district this season.
 
To this end, 2,000 farmers were given seeds free of cost with imparting technical training aimed at making them competent for boosting the yield, he said.

 On an average, around 19 tonnes of onion are harvested from each bigha of land, 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.