A total of 150 tonnes of onions were imported from India via the Dinajpur Hili Land Port. Officials and importers expect that continued imports will help stabilise the domestic onion market, which has recently seen unusually high prices.
Md Sakhawat Hossain Shilpi, President of the Hili Land Port Import-Exporters Association, confirmed that as of 2:30 pm on Monday, four trucks carrying onions imported by Messrs. Rubel Enterprise, Messrs. MR Enterprise, and Messrs. Mozammel Haque Enterprise had entered Bangladesh via the port. Each truck transports 30 metric tonnes, for a total of 120 metric tonnes per day.
A separate truck from Rocky Enterprise delivered an additional 30 metric tonnes after Sunday evening, bringing the two-day total to 150 metric tonnes.
According to importer Mozammel Haque, Indian onions cost Taka 30 per kg. After port taxes and transportation costs, the total import cost reaches around Taka 39 per kg. Monday's consignments were sold wholesale for Taka 55 per kg, resulting in a significant retail price drop.
"As a result, onions that were sold at Taka 120 per kg at the Hili Land Port two days ago are now selling for around Taka 70 per kg in local markets," he explained.
Another importer, Md. Rubel Hossain, claimed that domestic market prices had risen due to syndicate manipulation during peak season. He stated that the government's decision to open imports from India is intended to reduce such artificial increases and stabilise prices. He and other importers assured that continued import activity would contribute to a stable onion market in Bangladesh.
