Nashik: Onion prices in Bangladesh have skyrocketed, touching the Tk 100-per-kg mark and doubling within a matter of days, throwing household kitchen budgets into disarray. With India’s export ban still in place and domestic stocks in Bangladesh nearly exhausted, the country’s onion market has turned highly unstable.
The Bangladeshi government has continued its import restrictions to ensure better returns for local farmers; however, old stocks have dried up, and the new red onion crop will arrive only in January. This has created an acute shortage across the country.
Against this backdrop, onion exporters from Lasalgaon have urged the Indian government to intervene and initiate discussions with Bangladesh to lift the import ban at the earliest.
Lasalgaon, Asia’s largest onion market, is currently witnessing wholesale prices of just ₹13 to ₹17 per kg. In contrast, prices in Bangladesh have surged to around Tk 100 per kg, nearly six times higher, highlighting the stark disparity between the two markets.
Prices in major Bangladeshi cities such as Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, and Khulna have risen sharply over the past few days. Local media reports suggest that domestic supplies are nearly depleted, and India’s continued export restrictions have further disrupted the market. The burden is now falling heavily on ordinary consumers, whose monthly budgets have been severely impacted.
Praveen Kadam, Director (Trade) at Lasalgaon Agricultural Produce Market Committee and an onion exporter, said, “Bangladesh is India’s largest onion-importing country. But they have maintained an import ban for almost a year. The central government must intervene immediately and work towards getting the ban lifted. If imports resume, Indian farmers could instantly get a price rise of ₹2–₹5 per kg.”
