Onion imports were approved after prices exceeded Tk 150 a kg. The government allowed limited onion imports on Saturday.
In the wholesale markets, the prices have fallen by Tk 20 a kg.
By Sunday evening, the Department of Agricultural Extension issued import permits for 1,500 tonnes of onion.
Onion-laden trucks were seen entering the Hili and Sonamasjid land ports. The import cost ranged between Tk 25 and Tk 45, according to the importers.
Prices of some onion varieties dropped by Tk 30 a kg.
Onion prices surged between Thursday and Friday, with prices of a kg of the product rising by Tk 30 or even more.
Maximum 30 tonnes of onions can be imported under one import permit. The DAE has issued 50 such permits so far.
The government said the import would continue until the prices come to tolerable levels.
Bangladesh’s onion imports are mostly confined to neighbouring India and Myanmar. In 2023, however, an export ban by India prompted Bangladesh to import onions from Turkey and Pakistan.
Under the 30 import permits given through the Sonamasjid Land Port in Chapainawabganj, 60 tonnes of onion entered Bangladesh. A tonne of onions imported through the port costs between $245 and $250.
The import cost of a kg of onion from India stood around Tk 30.
On Sunday, the best quality onion in India sold at 18.30 rupees per kg.
Indian media reported Bangladesh’s import ban had caused the country’s onion price to drop between 10 and 15 rupees. Onion growers dumped their harvest on the road, for it did not get them back their cost of production.
An importer at the Hili port said he spent between Tk 45 and Tk 46 per kg.
“Wholesalers have not come to buy onions yet. Our asking price for a kg of onion is Tk 70,” said Atik Hasan Rubel, the owner of Rocky Traders, which imported 30 tonnes of onion on Sunday.
