30,000 Tons of Onions Rotting at Indian Border, Now Selling for Just Rs 2 per Kg

Indian exporters are facing huge losses as nearly 30,000 tonnes of onions stockpiled at the Ghojadanga, Petrapole, Mahadipur and Hili borders have begun to rot after Bangladesh suddenly stopped imports to protect its farmers. Exporters say they brought onions to the border based on verbal assurances from Bangladeshi importers, but now the situation has collapsed. At the Mahadipur-Sonamasjid border, onions bought from Nashik for Rs 16–22 per kg are being sold for just Rs 2 per kg, far below transport and storage costs. While onions retail for Rs 20–22 in Malda markets, buyers near the border are getting them almost free. Traders claim they expected to sell to Bangladesh for Rs 30–32 per kg, ensuring profit, but the import permit restriction issued on November 16 halted everything. With thousands of tonnes rotting, traders are hiring hundreds of workers to separate good onions from spoiled ones. They are urging state and central government intervention as losses continue to deepen.