পেঁয়াজ ও বীজ চাষীদের মূল্য ও মৌমাছি সংকট । Onion harvest | Seed | how to find pollination bees

পেঁয়াজের বীজের কালো রং ও উচ্চ মূল্যের কারণে কৃষক পেঁয়াজের বীজকে কদম বা কালাসোনা বা ব্ল্যাক গোল্ড ডাকে। পেঁয়াজ ও বীজ চাষের মাঠে দুদিন ঘুরে কৃষকের অভিজ্ঞতা যা দেখেছি, আপনাদের সাথে শেয়ার করছি। পেঁয়াজের ফুল পরাগায়নের মৌমাছি ও দাম নিয়ে কৃষক চিন্তিত। 

Even after a bumper harvest of onions this season in four districts of Rajshahi, a sharp decline in the price of the vegetable has left farmers struggling.

Onion was selling at around Tk 2,000 per maund even in mid-March when the harvest began. Now, the price is below Tk 1,500 per maund as farmers prepare to sell their harvests.

Around 6,00,000 tonnes of onions are expected to be harvested from 32,252 hectares of land this year in Rajshahi, Natore, Naogaon and Chapainwabganj districts, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension.

Rajshahi alone produces almost half of the entire region's total onion production, DAE data revealed.

"The weather condition was perfect for onions this year. A prolonged winter helped both quality and yield of onions," said Atikur Rahman Sumon, a farmer of Rajshahi's Durgapur upazila.

"I cultivated onion on two bighas of land, requiring around Tk 45,000 per bigha. Even after harvesting 80 maunds of onion, I am worried if I would even recover production costs, as the price is dwindling in the market," he lamented.

"In Baneswar market of Puthia and Amgachhi market of Durgapur, onion is being sold at Tk 1,200-1,420 per maund this week, while the price was Tk 1,800-2,200 last week," said Abu Taleb, another farmer from the same area.

"Farmers are worried that if prices keep declining, they will incur losses after preserving onions for next six months," he added.

"In recent times, farmers are increasing their production cost in onion cultivation by using more pesticides and fertilisers than required," says Mokhlesur Rahman, a sub-assistant agriculture officer of DAE in Durgapur upazila.

https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/agriculture/news/onion-farmers-the-north-stare-losses-3583226

also see 

https://www.thedailystar.net/business/economy/news/onion-seeds-may-get-expensive-low-yield-3583621