This time in Pabna’s Santhia Upazila, the farmers are facing loss by planting Hali or the main method of onion. In fact, they can’t afford the cost of production. Due to rains at the beginning of the onion planting season and defects in onion seeds, many trees have started flowering this time. Farmers are selling these onions as they cannot be stored for long. That is why the price of onion has dropped in the market.

Farmers say that although it is normal to have flowers in onion (Murlikata) or early variety (onion bud), it is harmful to catch flowers in Hali or the original method of onion.
The price goes down as such onions cannot be stored. Seeing the high price of onion in the last two years, the farmers of Santhia Upazila became more interested in onion cultivation. But this time they are facing the opposite loss due to flowering of the tree.
Raja Hossain, storekeeper of Boilmari wholesale onion market in Santhia, said that farmers were supposed to return home smiling after selling onions at the market but now they are returning home crying. About 80 percent of the land in this area has flowering onions. The price of flowering onion is very low. The way the farmers are bringing onions to the market this time due to flowering, there will be shortage of onions after five-six months.

According to the Upazila Agriculture Office, the target for onion cultivation has been set at 18,650 hectares of land in Santhia this time. Onion is being planted in more than one thousand hectares of land this time than last time. Onion is cultivated in the upazila in two ways. One is murikata; The other is Hali method or original cultivation. In Santhia, onion is mostly cultivated in Hali method. This time onion has been planted in 13 thousand 650 hectares of land by Hali method.

Hali method of planting starts in January-February. In March-April, the onion grows in the farmer’s house. Not the big exception
If the onion does not flower and this onion is stored throughout the year. But if for some reason the onion blooms, it cannot be stored for long.
It has been seen on the spot, this time a lot of onion trees have flowers. Farmers say that onions that have flowers should not be kept for more than one to one and a half months after being picked from the ground. However, in order to meet the demand throughout the year, fresh onions are planted. But the farmers know that this onion cannot be stored for long as the flowers come, so they are rushing to the market to sell the onion as soon as it is picked from the land. As a result, the supply of onions in the market has increased a lot in the last few days.