Turkey to the rescue amid onion shortage in Bangladesh

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Turkey has offered to export 15,000 tons of onions to Bangladesh amid a price hike due to an export ban by India.

“Turkey has offered to export 15,000 tons of onions to Bangladesh at Tk 23 [$0.27] per kilogram,” Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, who recently visited Turkey and met the Turkish president and other top officials, told a local TV station Channel24 in an interview on Monday.

India, the world's largest onion exporter, is witnessing rising prices of the essential item in South Asian cuisine prompting authorities to place an export ban.

Bangladesh, which mainly imported onions from its neighbor India, is now looking for alternatives.

Momen said on his recent visit to Ankara he floated the idea of exporting onions from Turkey.

"During my visit to Turkey, I, having the consent from Bangladesh commerce minister about the problem of onions, I gave the responsibility to the Bangladesh Mission there in Turkey to hold dialogue with Turkish traders,” the foreign minister said.

However, Bangladesh has yet to make a formal announcement about starting imports.