That September, push again. This month last year, there was a cry for onions in the country's market. Because India stopped exporting onions without prior announcement. The same thing happened in India again. When Bangladesh happily sent 12 tons of hilsa to India, India's onion stopped immediately. There has been an angry reaction in the minds of the people.
Onion prices rose first in September last year due to rising domestic prices and stockpiles, and then India stopped exporting. Then the price of onion in the market of Bangladesh increased from 50 to 60 rupees per kg to 300 rupees.
Later, the government tried to handle the situation by importing onions from different countries including Pakistan, Myanmar, China, Egypt and Turkey. India lifted the ban on onion exports in March after new onions emerged.
Although India promised to inform Bangladesh in advance if it decided to stop onion exports, India did not keep its word. For its own sake, India never thinks of a friend. This time too he stopped onion exports without announcing in advance and gave proof of it.
According to an Indian source, India stopped exporting onions through all ports after exporting 50 metric tonnes of onions through Benapole port on Monday. Trucks loaded with onions across the port were not allowed to cross the border due to the sudden closure. If the Indian authorities demand that the LC be amended from 250 to ৭ 650, then the onion will enter.
On the other hand, about 700 tonnes of onions were imported from India through 129 onion trucks through Hili land port of Dinajpur till last Sunday. Onion imports were closed all day on Monday. Saidul Alam, deputy commissioner of the Customs House at Healy Land Port, said that when contacted by the Indian authorities, they reported the crisis there and also talked about the rise in onion prices in India.
However, it is not yet clear what effect the sudden stoppage of onion imports will have on the overall situation in Bangladesh.
In a meeting of the FBCCI on November 24, 2019, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi presented an account of the annual demand for onions in the wake of last year's onion crisis. It can be seen that the country's annual onion is 24 to 25 lakh tons. In other words, it takes two lakh tons of onion every month. On an average, 60,000 to 100,000 tonnes of onions have to be imported every month.
Referring to the last six years, the minister said that more than one lakh tonnes of onions had to be imported at the end of the season. 95,000 tons of it would come from India, and 5,000 tons would come from other countries.