A bumper onion harvest in Jhenaidah this season has turned into a financial setback for thousands of farmers, as record production collided with falling market prices and a severe lack of storage facilities.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, onions were cultivated on 13,464 hectares of land in Jhenaidah this year. While the production target was set at 2,35,000 tonnes, actual output has surpassed expectations, reaching over 2,63,000 tonnes.
However, farmers said that the higher yield had brought little benefit, as market prices had fallen significantly due to oversupply, leaving many unable to recover production costs.
Farmers across Shailkupa, Kaliganj, Kotchandpur and surrounding upazilas report widespread losses.
While the fields delivered abundance, farmers said, the market delivered disappointment.
Moktar Hossain, a tenant farmer from Folia village in Shailkupa, said that he cultivated onions on two bighas of leased land, investing about Tk 1,20,000 for seeds, fertiliser, labour and irrigation.
Although his yield reached about 100 maunds (1 maund is equal to 40 kilograms) per bigha under the ‘Sukh Sagar’ variety, he is currently selling onions at about Tk 500 per maund, resulting in an estimated loss of Tk 50,000-60,000.
‘I expected profit after such a good harvest, but the market price has collapsed. Now I am in debt,’ he said.
Another farmer, Rabiul Islam of Bhatai village, said that onion farming cost about Tk 50,000-60,000 per bigha. He added that the break-even price should be at least Tk 1,500 per maund, but current market rates were far below that level.
Farmers said that similar losses were being reported across the district, discouraging small and medium cultivators from continuing onion farming in the future.
Traders and market stakeholders said that the price fall was mainly due to a sudden influx of onions on the market during peak harvest season, leading to oversupply compared to demand.
According to traders, when large volumes arrive at once, prices drop sharply as buyers gain bargaining advantage.
‘Supply is much higher than demand right now. That’s why prices have fallen,’ said trader Masuduzzaman Liton.
Another trader, Imran Hossain, added that purchasing at higher rates was risky for traders, as prices continued to fluctuate downward during peak supply periods.
Farmers and experts said that the absence of cold storage or adequate preservation facilities was a key reason behind post-harvest losses.
As onions are a perishable crop, farmers are forced to sell immediately after harvesting, often at whatever price is available on the market.
‘There is no storage facility in the district. Farmers cannot store onions even if they want to wait for better prices,’ said local traders.
Farmers said that this structural gap consistently prevented them from benefiting from bumper production years.
Officials said that Jhenaidah remained one of the country’s major onion-producing districts, with output increasing significantly this year.
However, the simultaneous harvest across large areas has intensified market pressure, further contributing to price instability.
Additional deputy director of the DAE in Jhenaidah, M Anisuzzaman, acknowledged that production had exceeded the target this season but said that farmers were not receiving fair prices due to oversupply and lack of storage infrastructure.
He said that the establishment of cold storage facilities could help stabilise prices and reduce post-harvest losses for small and medium farmers.
Jhenaidah deputy commissioner Noman Hossain said that the administration was considering initiatives to address storage constraints and reduce distress sales in future seasons.
He added that steps would be taken to support farmers and improve market stability so that increased production translated into better income rather than losses.
