News Flash
RANGPUR, Nov 6, 2025 (BSS) - The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has set an all-time record target of producing 1,45,272 tonnes of onion from 11,931 hectares of land for Rangpur agricultural region during the current Rabi season.
Farmers have started farming early tuber varieties of onion after harvesting short duration Aman rice in all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari in the region to harvest those from mid-November and earn good profits.
“The DAE has set the record onion production target considering the growing demand and high prices to meet local demand of the essential commodity” Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Sirajul Islam told BSS here recently.
In the last 2024-2025 Rabi season, farmers produced a record 1,19,811 tonnes of onions by cultivating the spicy crop on 10,223 hectares of land in the region.
“In the current 2025-2026 Rabi season, farmers will produce 1,45,272 tonnes of onion, which is 25,164 tonnes more than the previous 2024-2025 Rabi season,” said Sirajul Islam.
Earlier, in the 2023-2024 Rabi season, farmers produced 1,18,491 tonnes of onions from 10,006 hectares of land and 1,04,263 tonnes from 8,834 hectares of land in the 2022-2023 Rabi season in the region.
The DAE, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture are providing quality seeds, training and technologies to farmers for enhancing onion production.
According to market sources, the price of locally produced onions in the local market is now between Taka 110 and 120 per kg, although a week ago its price in the region was between Taka 70 and 80.
Besides, commercial banks are disbursing easy-term agriculture loans among farmers to make the intensive onion and other winter crops’ farming programme a success in the region.
“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,” Agriculturist Sirajul Islam said.
Deputy Director of the DAE's Burirhat Horticulture Centre in Rangpur Agriculturist Dr Md Abu Sayem said there is a huge potential to enhance onion production by ensuring proper crop diversification and adopting latest technologies.
Being inspired by officials of the DAE and other related organisations, farmers are showing more interest in farming onions by directly sowing its seeds, transplanting seedlings and tuber varieties in Rangpur region.
Hundreds of people living in ‘char’ areas and small and marginal farmers are receiving high-quality onion seeds and fertilizers as government incentives to cultivate onions in both the mainland and ‘char’ areas to increase production.
“The special steps taken by the government to encourage farmers to cultivate both winter and summer varieties of onions which are contributing to increasing the production of the spicy crop every year,” Dr Abu Sayem said.
Talking to BSS, farmers Abdur Rahman, Zafar Ali and Mofidul Haque from Gangachara, Sadar and Pirganj upazilas of Rangpur said that after harvesting the early variety Aman paddy, they have already sown tuber onion seeds in their land.
Farmers Lokman Hossain and Solaiman Ali of Ranipukur village in Mithapukur upazila said they have already started collecting early tuber variety onions along with leaves and are getting huge profits by selling them at Taka 50 to 60 per kg.
