United News of Bangladesh

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday said the government has taken practical steps to modernise onion storage, reduce post-harvest losses and ensure fair prices for farmers. Responding to a question from Faridpur-4 MP Md Shohidul Islam during the Prime Minister's question-answer session in Parliament, he said a number of projects are being implemented to improve onion and garlic storage and marketing across the country. Govt committed to restoring investors’ confidence in capital market: PM "The government has taken practical measures to prevent wastage of onion and garlic, ensure fair prices for farmers and modernise the storage system," the Prime Minister said. He said 3,500 air-flow machines have already been distributed under a project aimed at improving onion storage in major hubs affected by climate change. Tarique Rahman said another ongoing project on modernising onion and garlic storage and improving marketing has already built 900 model storage houses in major producing districts, including Faridpur. “Each storage unit has a capacity of 10 to 12 tonnes and is helping farmers preserve their produce.” The project also provides farmers with technical knowledge, training and market linkages to reduce spoilage and improve marketing opportunities, he added. The Prime Minister said 19,000 farmers received air-flow machines during the 2025-26 fiscal year under a government incentive programme for onion storage. He also said a new project is being prepared to further modernise onion and garlic storage and marketing. “Once implemented, it will install 8,000 air-flow storage machines in major producing districts, including Faridpur.” Tarique Rahman said the modern technology will significantly reduce post-harvest losses and enable farmers to store their produce and sell it later at fair prices.