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The government will distribute 15,000 additional air flow machines to farmers to strengthen onion storage capacity, reduce post-harvest losses and ultimately eliminate the country’s dependence on onion imports, Agriculture and Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid said on Thursday.
Speaking at a national workshop on the Farmer-level Onion Storage Adaptation Project through Partnership to Mitigate the Adverse Impacts of Climate Change in Bangladesh’s Onion Producing Areas at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) auditorium in Farmgate, the minister said improving storage facilities is a key priority for ensuring year-round onion availability and stabilising market prices.
“We have decided to enhance onion storage capacity to bring onion imports down to zero. At the same time, production will be increased with the goal of exporting onions in the future,” he said.
The minister noted that Bangladesh already produces more onions than its annual domestic requirement. However, inadequate storage infrastructure results in significant post-harvest losses, forcing the country to import onions during certain periods of the year to meet market demand.
He said reducing these losses through improved storage technology would help farmers secure better prices while strengthening the country’s food security.
Highlighting the quality of locally grown onions, Aminur Rashid said Bangladeshi expatriates around the world prefer domestically produced onions because of their distinctive taste and quality.
“Our indigenous onion varieties possess unique characteristics that distinguish them from onions produced in many other countries,” he said, expressing optimism that Bangladesh could eventually emerge as an onion-exporting nation.
The minister made the remarks at the workshop organised under the Farmer-level Onion Storage Adaptation Project, which is being implemented by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) under the Ministry of Agriculture with financial support from the Climate Change Trust Fund.
The project, launched in May 2025, will continue until April 2027 with a total allocation of Tk 11.77 crore.
It is being implemented in 107 upazilas across 16 onion-producing districts, including Pabna, Faridpur, Rajbari, Rajshahi, Kushtia, Bogura and Rangpur.
Under the ongoing project, 3,700 environment-friendly air flow machines are being installed to minimise post-harvest onion losses, while 3,900 farmers are receiving technical training on modern onion storage techniques.
The minister said the government’s decision to provide an additional 15,000 air flow machines would significantly expand the programme’s reach, helping thousands more farmers preserve their produce, reduce wastage and improve incomes while contributing to the country’s long-term goal of self-sufficiency in onion production.