Onion prices in kitchens across the country have surged sharply, rising by up to Tk 15 per kilogram—a staggering 24 percent increase within just one week—placing significant financial strain on consumers.

This latest spike follows a familiar seasonal pattern typically seen in August but is being exacerbated by adverse weather conditions, a suspension of onion imports from India, and reduced supply from critical producing regions.

In key wholesale markets such as Dhaka’s Karwanbazar, local onions are now fetching between Tk 70 and Tk 75 per kilogram, while retail prices have soared to as high as Tk 80 per kilogram.

If this alarming trend continues unchecked, it risks triggering a wider inflationary ripple effect, severely impacting household budgets and food security nationwide. Immediate action is needed to stabilise supplies and protect consumers from further hardship.

Retailers say higher procurement costs from producing districts such as Pabna and Faridpur are leaving them unable to lower prices, prompting many consumers to cut back on their usual purchases.

Pabna, a leading onion-producing region, currently relies entirely on locally grown stocks.

With imports from India halted for an extended period, wholesalers report that farmers are deliberately holding back supplies in hopes of fetching higher prices later, as they did last year.

Consumer rights advocates warn that some traders are artificially limiting market availability to push prices up.

They are urging immediate government intervention, along with tighter monitoring of the market, to curb the unusual price hike and protect consumers.