In Khatunganj of Chittagong, the burden of loss of onion traders is getting heavier day by day. Onions are being sold at water prices. Sometimes 5 to 10 rupees per kg and sometimes sacks of onions are being sold for 10 to 20 rupees. Many traders are throwing away even if they can’t sell. The importers lost millions of rupees.
Hundreds of sacks of rotten onions in every yard of Khatunganj. First gauze or seedlings sprout, then water is wasted. And these are being sold at 5 to 10 rupees per kg. In some yards, the price of the whole sack is only 10 rupees. Traders are facing extreme losses as the burden of losses continues to grow.
Business leaders say onions are rotting due to container-related complications during shipments to exporting countries. Besides, onion is rotting due to excessive import of seasonal traders.
Mohammad Mintu, general secretary of the Hamidullah Mia Market Traders’ Warehousing Association, said the price of onions had gone up much since last year. So seasonal traders think the price will be a lot again. Due to this, the price has come down due to high import.
And the importer Mirza Shah Alam said that the importers are losing interest due to the loss due to smuggling of onions in containers.
As India stopped exporting onions in September this year, hundreds of importers from 11 countries, including Khatunganj, opened import permits from 11 countries.
