Summer onion project wilts as seeds can't withstand northern heat

Over the last two years, the government has spent nearly Tk 37 crore in farmer incentives to grow summer onions and narrow the gap between annual demand and local output.

The project, though launched with good faith, is faltering with farmers reporting that the seeds - Nasik N-53 - supplied under the project sprout, then wither and die because of its low tolerance to summer heat.

District agriculture officers say the variety can tolerate temperatures only up to 25 degrees Celsius. In northern districts, the mercury climbs to around 40 degrees during peak summer, and the seedlings collapse in the heat.

Officials in the north say they have been sending regular field reports to the agriculture ministry. But top officials at the agricultural extension department, which is responsible for facilitating agricultural growth and development, say they are yet to receive any formal complaint regarding the onion seeds.

Meanwhile, an agricultural economist said the entire seed supply chain from the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) to the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) must shoulder full responsibility.

Official data show that Bangladesh consumes an estimated 28 lakh tonnes of red onions each year. Local cultivation accounts for about 80 percent of this, with the rest met through imports.

Farmers usually plant onions in winter. After years of price spikes that pushed retail rates to as high as Tk 200 a kilogramme, the government explored ways to increase output and narrow the gap between annual demand and supply.

GOOD PROJECT, BAD SEED

The project was supposed to help achieve those goals. However, interviews with 40 farmers – 20 from Rangpur, 10 from Kurigram and 10 from Lalmonirhat – revealed that its potential was nipped in the bud.

"The seeds sprout after sowing, but the seedlings wither and die before growing big. The same thing happened in the last two years. I won't take these seeds again," said Akbar Ali, a farmer from Char Korai Barishal area in Chilmari of Kurigram.

He added, "During summer, the temperature in our area is very high, and the seeds cannot tolerate this heat."

Aminul Islam, a farmer from Harati village in Lalmonirhat, said, "We were happy to receive the incentive for onion cultivation, but the seeds were ruined within a few days. We made no profit; instead, we suffered losses."

He added that farmers would benefit if heat-tolerant varieties were supplied instead.

Nader Ali, a farmer from Char Mohipur in Gangachara, said, "The project is very necessary. But without improving seed quality, it is of no use. For two years, I did not get any yield."

District officers are frustrated as well.

Kurigram DAE Deputy Director Abdullah Al Mamun said, "Nasik N-53 is not a summer variety. We regularly report field outcomes to the ministry. If heat-tolerant seeds are supplied, the project will see better success."

Sirajul Islam, additional director of Rangpur Regional DAE, said, "A different seed variety must be supplied for summer cultivation. We have already informed the ministry in writing about changing the variety. Discussions on this issue are ongoing in review workshops on summer onion cultivation."

However, SM Sohrab Uddin, director general of the DAE, told The Daily Star that he is yet to receive any written complaint on the matter.

"If a complaint is filed and an investigation confirms the allegations, appropriate action will be taken against all those involved," he added.

According to the DAE, in 2024 a total of Tk 19.85 crore was provided as incentives to 60,518 farmers for cultivating summer onions on the same amount of land across 28 districts. For each bigha, Tk 3,280 was given to farmers for seeds, fertiliser, pesticides and other inputs. In the Rangpur Division's eight districts, 6,160 farmers received this incentive.

In 2025, a total of 50,000 farmers in 20 districts received Tk 17 crore in incentives. Each farmer received Tk 3,400. In the Rangpur division, 8,500 farmers received the incentive.

Meanwhile, blaming the agencies responsible for supplying the seeds, agricultural economist Jahangir Alam Khan, said the BADC is accountable for the varieties it multiplies and delivers to farmers, and the DAE must verify whether the seed is properly tested and truthfully labeled.

He noted that when farmers receive poor-quality seed, they suffer financial losses and have every right to seek compensation. "If private companies can be penalised for supplying bad seed, the same standards must apply to government institutions as well."

Since the government spends public money to produce and subsidise these seeds, collecting low-quality seed is unacceptable, he said