Onion growers breathe easier as prices rebound

Onion farmers in several major producing districts have been grappling with low prices and mounting losses for months. But wholesale prices have risen by as much as twofold in some areas over the past two weeks, bringing much-needed relief to growers.

For consumers, however, the rebound has come at a cost, with retail prices climbing as supplies dwindle.

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Visits to wholesale markets in Faridpur and Rajbari, along with interviews with farmers, traders and agriculture officials, showed that onions were selling for Tk 750 to Tk 900 per maund (37.32 kg) around mid-July, depending on quality.

Prices later peaked at about Tk 1,600 to Tk 1,900 per maund before settling at around Tk 1,500 to Tk 1,700 yesterday.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension in Faridpur, the district produced 751,635 tonnes of onions from 47,036 hectares in 2025-26, up from 593,239 tonnes the previous season

Traders said onion supplies have fallen by around 25 percent. They attributed the decline to the spoilage of large quantities of stored onions due to excessive heat, rainfall and inadequate storage facilities, which have reduced farmers’ stocks.

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Wholesalers package onions at Baharpur onion market in Baliakandi upazila, Rajbari. The photos were taken recently. PHOTO: AHMED HUMAYUN KABIR TOPU & SUZIT KUMAR DAS

Babu Mia, 52, an onion farmer from Bastaputi village in Nagarkanda upazila of Faridpur, said he harvested 200 maunds of onions this year and stored 150 maunds. Some of the stored onions rotted, while others lost weight, leaving him with around 130 to 135 maunds.

“Two weeks ago, the price was so low that I would not even have recovered my production costs. Instead, I would have incurred further losses,” he said.

Another farmer from the same village, Sukanta Mondal, 45, said he refrained from selling his onions earlier because of the low prices and still has around 150 maunds in storage.

“The prices over the past few months had discouraged me from cultivating onions again. But the recent price hike has restored my confidence,” he said.

Nazmul Sahadat, 48, a trader at Banibaha onion market in Rajbari Sadar, said most farmers are now busy harvesting jute, while continuous rainfall over the past few days has further reduced onion supplies by about 25 percent.

Sudeb Mondal, an onion trader in Nagarkanda upazila of Faridpur, said the sudden rise in prices had caught traders by surprise.

“The price increase will benefit both farmers and traders. I think onion prices may exceed Tk 2,000 per maund,” he said.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Faridpur, the district produced 751,635 tonnes of onions from 47,036 hectares of land during the 2025-26 season, up from 593,239 tonnes in the previous season.

Nationwide, onion production reached 4.9 million tonnes against an annual demand of around 4.5 to 4.6 million tonnes.

Despite the surplus, a significant quantity has failed to reach the market because of storage losses, spoilage and post-harvest wastage.

According to the Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM), around 50 percent of the country’s onion production remains in storage at the farm level.

The tighter supply has already reached consumers. Retail prices currently stand at Tk 50 to Tk 60 per kg, up from Tk 35 to Tk 45 per kg two weeks ago, according to data from the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh.

A similar trend has unfolded in Pabna, another major onion-producing district.

Prices began climbing last Saturday (July 18) in Pabna’s wholesale markets. During the first four days of the week, they reached Tk 1,800 to 1,900 per maund. After a temporary slump around Wednesday, prices rose to Tk 1,800 to Tk 2,000 per maund by yesterday.

“The price of onion increased by Tk 100 to Tk 200 this week,” Md Robiul Islam, a prominent onion trader at Pushpopara Haat, told The Daily Star.

“When market demand rises, wholesale prices increase. Prices depend strictly on supply and demand in the wholesale market,” he explained.

For growers who endured months of low prices and mounting storage losses, the rebound has provided some respite.

Md Kamruzzaman, a leading onion farmer from Durgapur village in Sujanagar upazila, told The Daily Star that the cost of cultivating onions per bigha reached Tk 60,000 to Tk 70,000 this year.

“Farmers have experienced record spoilage this year. Around 30 to 40 percent of hybrid onions have already rotted in farmers’ homes,” he said.

The farmer estimated that onion growers could only turn a profit if prices remained above Tk 1,500 per maund.

“The current market price is acceptable,” Kamruzzaman added.

According to Md Ashikur Rahman, sub-assistant agriculture officer at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Pabna, onions were cultivated on 54,335 hectares of land in the district this year, yielding a record total of 995,367 tonnes.

“After the harvest, more than 6.5 lakh tonnes of onions were stored in farmers’ warehouses. Currently, a stock of 275,800 tonnes remains available in the district,” Ashikur Rahman stated.

Agriculture officials have also welcomed the surge.

“The production cost of onions comes out to over Tk 32 per kg, yet onions had been selling below Tk 30 for the past four months, forcing farmers to sell at a loss. If farmers receive above Tk 40 per kg, they can make a reasonable profit. Therefore, this price increase was necessary for the survival of our farmers,” Ashikur Rahman said.