From 2 maunds of onion seed on 20 shatak to 30 acres: even 200 maunds does not meet demand

A homemaker in Nagarkanda upazila, Faridpur, knew farm work as a farming family's daughter-in-law. The idea of onion seed came from her father-in-law, who grew a little seed on a small scale. In 2004, as a hobby, she planted onions on 20 shatak. That year she got two maunds of seed and sold it for Tk 80,000. The next year she increased the land and got 13 maunds, and the year after, 32 maunds. Last year she grew seed on 15 acres and this year on 30 acres; she had brought home 200 maunds of seed. Last season seed sold at Tk 5,000-6,000 a kilo, and she sold over a hundred maunds. Even so, she cannot meet demand: traders, farmers and companies come from different places to buy. Costs include pesticide, fertiliser and irrigation, and onion bulb prices are very high in the season. Too much fog, hail or storm and rain can ruin the seed. Besides growing seed in the field, she set up her own unit to pack and supply it; the seed is known as 'Khan Seeds'. About 15 workers work regularly, more in the season. According to the Agricultural Information Service, 60-70 percent of the country's onion seed demand comes from Faridpur.