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summer onions have left growers

Poor yields of summer onions have left growers frustrated, with many blaming low-quality seeds supplied under a government subsidy scheme.

Over the last two years, the government has spent nearly Tk 37 crore in farmer incentives to grow summer onions and narrow the gap between annual demand and local output.

The project, though launched with good faith, is faltering with farmers reporting that the seeds – Nasik N-53 – supplied under the project sprout, then wither and die because of its low tolerance to summer heat.

District agriculture officers say the variety can tolerate temperatures only up to 25 degrees Celsius. In northern districts, the mercury climbs to around 40 degrees during peak summer, and the seedlings collapse in the heat.

Officials in the north say they have been sending regular field reports to the agriculture ministry. But top officials at the agricultural extension department, which is responsible for facilitating agricultural growth and development, say they are yet to receive any formal complaint regarding the onion seeds.

Meanwhile, an agricultural economist said the entire seed supply chain from the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) to the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) must shoulder full responsibility.

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