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Farmers fetch profit from seed onion farming in Thakurgaon

Published : Sunday, 31 March, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 200
Asaduzzaman Asad
THAKURGAON, Mar 30:  Growers are weaving dreams with seed onions, locally known as black gold, in the district.
The seed onion cultivation has been going on in the district for the last several years. According to agriculture office sources, the interest of farming seed onions has increased among local farmers as they got good yielding and good prices in the past year.
According to sources at the Department of Agriculture (DAE), this years seed onion production will stand at Tk 23 crore. After meeting the district demand, the surplus seeds will be sent to different parts of the    country.
This year, 112 hectares (ha) of land have been brought under the seed onion cultivation in Thakurgaon. Per hectare seed onion production has been fixed at 900 kilogram (kg). According to this account, the total seed onion production will stand at 68.4 tonnes worth about Tk 23 crore.
A recent visit found bloomed onion fields in Sadar Upazila, Baliadangi and Horipur upazilas. White flowers were seen atop every plant, and these were making assembly of eye-soothing attraction.
While talking with this correspondent of The Daily Observer, a good number of growers said, not only growers are benefitting from producing seed onions, but unemployed local youths have also got income generation opportunities.
Jobless youths are working in seed onion fields at Tk 400-500 wage per day.  These youths are assisting their families.  
At present, rearing, irrigation, insecticide spraying and hand-made pollination are going on in full swing. Hundreds of women-men and along with teenage girls and boys are doing these works.
Growers said, usually seeds are sowed in November. After the seed sowing, it takes 130 days for seed maturity.
Due to lack of adequate bees and other insects, the pollination is done by hands. Bees and insects died because of insecticide spraying.    
A grower of Akhannagar Village in the Sadar Upazila Rahmat Ali has commercially cultivated seed onion on about eight bighas of land in Akhannagar Bazar area.  His per bigha farming cost stands at Tk 50,000-60,000 including seed, fertiliser, insecticide, labourer and plough.
"I hope to get 50 maunds of seed onions worth about Tk 1 crore from eight bighas," he added.
Grower Abdul Qyum of Yakubpur Village in the upazila said, "This year I have cultivated black  gold on three acres of land at Tk 1.80 lakh. I hope about about 100 kg of seeds per bigha. In the last year, I sold per kg seed onion at Tk 2,000-2,500."
Grower Swapon Kumar of Kanthaldangi area in Horipur Upazila said, "We can make much profit from any other crop. Seed onions are called black gold as these are valuable to us like gold."
Labourers working in his fields, such as Horpa Ray, Bishwanath and Sushil said, "There are huge works in onion fields, ranging from hand-pollinating to harvesting. We can make good earnings."
Grower Rafiqul Islam of Charol Village in Baliadangi Upazila said, he is weaving dreams with seed onions to bring solvency to his life. He said, he has cultivated seed onions on about three bighas. He is expecting a seed production of about Tk 5 lakh.
Additional Deputy Director (DD-Crop) of the DAE-Thakurgaon Alamgir Kabir said, this season, seed onions have been cultivated on 112 ha in the district, lower by one ha than last years.
If per ha seed production stands at 900 kg, the market value will stand at about Tk 23 crore, he added.
DAEs DD Dr Sirajul Islam said, along with growers interest, alternate employment is created centring the cultivation of black gold.


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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
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