Onion prices in Bangladesh have spiked sharply, climbing by up to Tk聽15 per kilogram, a 24 per cent increase, within just a week, causing financial strain to consumers.
The latest surge comes amid a familiar seasonal pattern, typically seen in August and is being fuelled by adverse weather conditions, a suspension of onion imports from India and reduced supply from key producing regions.
In major wholesale hubs like Dhaka鈥檚 Karwanbazar, local onions are selling at Tk聽70-75 per kg, while retail prices have reached as high as Tk聽80 per kg.
Retailers say higher procurement costs from producing districts such as Pabna and Faridpur are leaving them unable to lower prices, prompting many consumers to cut back on their usual purchases.
Pabna, a leading onion-producing region, currently relies entirely on locally grown stocks.
With imports from India halted for an extended period, wholesalers report that farmers are deliberately holding back supplies in hopes of fetching higher prices later, as they did last year.
Consumer rights advocates warn that some traders are artificially limiting market availability to push prices up.
They are urging immediate government intervention, along with tighter monitoring of the market, to curb the unusual price hike and protect consumers.
