High yielding onion farming is gradually expanding everywhere in the district following gradual rises of its demands.Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) had a target of cultivating onion on 4,682 hectares of land here, but exceeding the target onion was cultivated on 5,240 hectares of land with the production target of 60,000 tonnes of onion.DAE sources said the farmers of the area were found interested in onion cultivation on more new lands due to higher market price, availability of seeds, fertilisers, insecticides and other agri-inputs and a favorable climatic condition.Scientific officer of local Species Research Centre Moniruzzaman said in the current season, most of the farmers cultivated BARI-1 and Taherpuri variety because of its higher yielding than that of any other variety.DAE officers are motivating farmers to cultivate BARI-1, 3, 5 and Taherpuri on their land in a large scale to meet the demand of people and make the growers economically benefited.Bipul Chandra Biswas, a farmer of Chakdah village under Sripur upazila cultivated high yielding onion on 5 bighas of land and he is expecting to produce 250 mound of onion. Sripur upazila agriculture officer Subrato Kumar said we provided training to the farmers on the cultivation and expected a bumper production of high yielding onion in the district this season. -BSS, Magura
