A local farmer in Kaliganj, Lalmonirhat, has achieved a breakthrough in off-season agriculture by successfully cultivating the Indian "Nashik Red N-53" onion variety during the summer.
Abdul Gani Miah, a resident of Kashiram village in Tushbhandar Union, produced high-yield onions through a government incentive program. Supported by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Miah cultivated one bigha (roughly 0.33 acres) of land, yielding bulbs far larger than local varieties.
Individual onions from his field weighed up to 200 grams, with some clusters reaching over one kilogram. Miah expects to harvest approximately 300 maunds (about 12 metric tons) from his plot.
"Growing onions in the summer is traditionally difficult due to the heat and rain, but seeing this yield has made it worth the effort," Miah said. His success has already sparked interest among neighboring farmers looking to bridge the district’s seasonal onion shortage.
Dr. Md. Saikhul Arifin, Deputy Director of the Lalmonirhat DAE, noted that the department is closely monitoring the project. Officials say summer onion cultivation is becoming increasingly popular as farmers seek to capitalize on high off-season market prices.
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