Trade Advisor Sheikh Bashiruddin said that a decision to import onions will be taken if onion prices do not decrease to the desired level by this week.
He said this while briefing reporters on the current onion market situation at the conference room of the Ministry of Commerce this Sunday (October 9, 2025) afternoon.
The Trade Advisor said that there has been a bumper onion harvest in the country. There is no crisis – there is sufficient stock. New onions will come to the market in the next two weeks. As a result, if the market does not normalize in the next four to five days, we will decide to approve the import.
He said that 2,800 applications have already been received for onion import. Import approval will be issued if the market price does not return to a tolerable level in the next 4 to 5 days.
Commenting that the sudden increase in onion prices at this time is unreasonable, Sheikh Bashiruddin said that onion prices have increased for multiple reasons. The reason for the increase in prices is the end of the season, sudden heavy rains, loss of weight after drying out the onions during storage, etc.
We are monitoring the market after the sudden increase in onion prices. There is enough onion stock in the country. New onions will come to the market in the next two weeks. As a result, if the onion market does not return to normal in the next four to five days, we have decided to approve imports.
In response to the question whether the increase in onion prices is due to hoarders or syndicates, the Commerce Advisor said, I do not have any news of hoarding or syndicates. A temporary crisis has arisen. Hopefully, the crisis will end soon.
He also said, we have news that onions are being stored for export to Bangladesh across the border.
2,800 import applications have been received for onion import, if 10 percent of them are approved, the market will be flooded with onions. Farmers will face losses. Therefore, we are monitoring the situation from a holistic perspective.
Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Mahbubur Rahman was present at the time.
