Ninety three tonnes of green chilli have arrived in the country from India through different land ports after Eid holidays, said the Ministry of Agriculture. In the wake of surging price, the Ministry of Agriculture has so far permitted import a total of 36,830 metric tonnes of green chilli, said a press release of the ministry on Sunday. UNB Satkhira correspondent reports after Eid holidays the trade activities between India and Bangladesh resumed through Bhomra land port on Sunday with the arrival of 60 tonnes of green chilli. Green chilli still selling at Tk600 per kgSix trucks loaded with 10 tonnes of green chilli each entered the land port, said general secretary of Bhomra C&F Agent Association ASK Maksud Khan.The price of green chilli may decrease in the local market with the import, he hoped.However, a number of trucks carrying green chilli from India are on the way to Bangladesh and these will reach the land port by this (Sunday) evening, he said.Abdur Rahim, general secretary of Satkhira Kitchen Market Traders Association, said green chilli is being sold at Tk 400-450 per kg at wholesale market while it is being sold at Tk 600 at retail market. 60 tonnes of green chilli imported through Bhomra port“Already the price of green chilli has started to come down and it will be sold at Tk 50-60 per kg within two days,” he said.The price of green chilli has significantly risen in the local market recently. UNB Benapole correspondent reports: Green chilli import from India through Benapole began on Sunday evening. Chilli price hike heats up Barishal markets Five trucks carrying 34 mts green chilli entered the land port at 5 pm today.  

Onions from India have started arriving in Bangladesh through land ports on the border as the government announced resumption of onion import after over two months of restriction. The agriculture ministry took the decision to allow importing onions on Sunday (June 4, 2023) considering the unusual price hike. Two trucks loaded with 40 metric tonnes of Indian onions entered through Hili land port in Dinajpur at 5:45 pm today (June 6, 2023). Read more: Govt to allow onion import from Monday: Agriculture Ministry Shahidul Islam, an importer, said, “There has been a shortage of imported onions in the country since mid-March. As a result, the price of local onions skyrocketed in both retail and wholesale markets after Eid-ul-Fitr.” “In this situation, importers have been demanding that the government allow them to import onions from India, to keep the price stable. Keeping the traders and consumers in mind, the Ministry of Agriculture has given permission to import onions from India on Sunday,” he said. Although the imported onions are yet to reach the market, prices have already started to go down as the news broke.    Read more: Proper preservation of onions to end instability, crisis: Agriculture Minister  Moinul Haque, a retail trader at Hili Bazar, said onions were being sold at Tk 80 per kg this evening – Tk 5 less compared to this morning. “We may see a fall in onion prices in the coming days,” he said. Meanwhile, 57 onion-carrying trucks from India have entered the country through Sonamasjid land port in Chapainawabganj. Prabhat Kumar Singh, assistant commissioner of customs at Sonamasjid land port, said the trucks carrying 1,097 metric tonnes of onions have entered Bangladesh. Read more: Govt aiming to become self-sufficient in onions: Agriculture Minister “Trucks are allowed to enter the port only after receiving IP approved documents,” he said. The government stopped importing onions from India from March 16 this year to ensure fair prices for onions produced by local farmers.

The Bangladesh-Netherlands Agri-Business conference was held at the Hague to enhance the agro-food processing system and technological cooperation with both countries. The conference was jointly organized by the Ministry of Agriculture (BD), Bangladesh Embassy in the Netherlands, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands, and Wageningen University and Research. Also read: Agri-Business Conclave to bridge Dutch innovation, tech for dev of Bangladesh agro, food industry The conference discussed innovation and cooperation in the fields of agricultural food processing, horticulture, dairy, fisheries, and poultry. Emphasis is being placed on how Dutch knowledge, experience, technology, and innovation can be utilized in these sectors in Bangladesh. Agriculture Secretary Md. Saidul Islam, Ambassador of Bangladesh to The Hague M Riaz Hamidullah, Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Agriculture of Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands Guido Landhir, Executive Director of the Netherlands Food Partnership Myrtle Dance, Dutch Top-sector Agro-Foods Director Willen, Digital Innovation Partner Jan Carroll Mac, among others, spoke in the conference. Also read: Agriculture sector may follow Spain's Almeria model: Tipu Munshi

The agriculture and jute ministries are working with stakeholders to help Bangladesh achieve self-reliance in jute seeds and end dependence on India, Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak said Thursday.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) have started distributing homestead vegetable gardening (HVG) kits among 26,000 smallholder farmers in coastal Bangladesh to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

DAP Fertiliser Company Limited, operating under the Ministry of Industries, has exceeded its production targets for the fiscal 2019-20 (FY20).   The factory, situated at Rangadia in Chattogram, had set a production target of 60,000 metric tonnes in the current fiscal.   The factory has produced 64,000 MT DAP fertiliser as of May 4, said a press release of Industries Ministry on Tuesday.