Onion Farmers’ Plight and Price Hike of Onion in Bangladesh: A Human Development Crisis in Corona Pandemic

Abstract

Smallholder family farmers cannot gain from the price hike of onion, which has become a regular phenomenon in contemporary Bangladesh. Instead, they undergo losses in onion farming, mainly for two reasons˗ incurring high input costs and getting deprived of a fair price of the produce. This livelihood problem has become acute in the Corona Pandemic and negatively impacted the human development of household members of smallholder onion farmers. Proactive public policy and actions are needed so that the smallholder family farming households engaged in onion farming can expand their production at a low cost and end with a lucrative margin. It will ultimately lead to a sustainable solution of recurring onion price hikes in the country and contribute to the human development of the members of smallholder onion farm households