Tentulia upazila
A Panchagarh farmer being innovative amid onion crisis
When the onion price hit the roof with each kg being sold at Tk 250, a farmer in Tentulia upazila came up with an innovative idea of cultivating the bulb in bottles that can be harvested round the year.
“Initially, I began cultivating onions in a single bottle on an experimental basis. Without spending a lot…I got good yields in just a few days and then I decided to grow onions in more bottles throughout the year at my home,” said the farmer, Ataur Rahman, hailing from Dangapara village.
He said he has taken all the preparations to grow onions in 10-15 bottles.
This method of cultivation is quite simple and inexpensive as explained by Ataur Rahman himself.
One has to cut off the neck of the bottle, punch some holes around the bottle, position the bulbs with the sprouts by the holes so they grow out neatly. Then one has to layer on the soil and sprouts until the bottle is full, water it and give it some light.
In barely a week, green leaves will start coming out through the small holes and after three months, fully-grown onions can be removed from a bottle.
According to Ataur Rahman, at least half a kg of onion can be planted inside a plastic bottle with a 2.5-litre capacity. Maximum 50 onions can be sown in one bottle.
4 years ago