Farmers to receive 15,000 airflow machines for onion storage: minister

Onion farmers will be provided with 15,000 new airflow machines under the onion storage project being implemented by the Department of Agricultural Extension, Fisheries, Livestock and Agriculture Minister Mohammed Amin Ur Rashid said today.

The minister shared the information at a workshop titled "Adaptation project for onion storage at the farmer level on a partnership basis to mitigate the adverse effects of changing climate in Bangladesh's onion-producing areas," held at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council in Farmgate in the capital.

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Although the country's onion production exceeds domestic demand, a lack of adequate storage facilities forces the import of large quantities of onions every year, the minister said.

By expanding storage capacity, onion imports will be brought down to zero, and by increasing production, onions will eventually be exported, he said.

"Ten million of our people live abroad. They want to eat onions grown in our own country. Onions produced in other countries are almost like vegetables. What we mean by real onions is our own domestic onion," the minister said.

The total cost of the onion storage project has been set at Tk 11.77 crore, and it is being funded by the Climate Change Trust Fund, according to a statement released by the agriculture ministry.

The project is being implemented in 107 upazilas across 16 districts, including Pabna, Faridpur, Rajbari, Rajshahi, Kushtia, Magura, Jhenaidah, Manikganj, Natore, Naogaon, Meherpur, Chapainawabganj, Madaripur, Shariatpur, Rangpur and Bogura.

Under the project, 3,700 environmentally friendly air flow machines are being installed to prevent post-harvest onion decay.

Additionally, 3,900 farmers are receiving technical training under the project.