A farmer can earn at least Tk 15,000 from one bigha of land by cultivating BARI-2 and BARI-3 varieties of the onion, evolved by Magura Regional Spice Research Centre (RSRC). One bigha yields around 80 maunds of summer variety of onion.

Sources at Jessore Regional Agriculture Extension Department office here said additional 40,980 tonnes of onion worth about Tk four crore can be produced in 10 districts under Jessore Agriculture Region by bringing 4,725 hectares of fallow lands under its cultivation in summer season.

Researchers at the Magura RSRC achieved the success in evolving high yielding variety of summer onion after several years' research and experimental cultivation in cooperation with One Farm Research Division (OFRD) under BARI (Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute).

Talking to The Daily Star recently, RSRC Scientific Officer Alauddin Khan said, the summer onion can be harvested in 105 days from sowing. About 4,725 hectares of land in Jessore, Jhenidah, Magura, Narail, Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Kushtia, Chuadanga and Meherpur districts remain fallow during the summer season, where the variety of onion can be grown well.

The RSRC has taken up a programme to popularise summer onion cultivation among farmers.

Bangladesh now produces around 1.6 lakh tonnes of onion in 34 thousand hectares against an annual demand of around 3.5 lakh tonnes, officials said.

Cultivation of the onion in some demonstration plots in Hazrapur in Magura and Katura Kandi in Jessore has raised hopes among farmers in the areas. The cultivation will increase substantially this year, they hoped.