Onions are very important Bangladeshi cuisine. The vegetable is a staple the country's cooking. However, many people are finding it difficult to buy onions. There is a shortage them, which means prices have rocketed. Many Bangladeshis simply cannot afford to buy onions. Bangladesh traditionally imports onions its neighbour India. Recent heavy monsoon rains India damaged a lot India's onion harvest. This has made India ban exports to Bangladesh. The price one kilogram of onions Bangladeshi markets has risen US36 cents to around $3.25. This is nearly a ten-fold increase. Bangladesh's opposition party has called nationwide protests over the record prices.
The onion crisis is so serious that even the Prime Minister has stopped using it her cooking. Sheikh Hasina Wazed said she is using onion alternatives her dishes. A limited number onions are sale in several Dhaka markets twice their usual price. Hundreds people queue hours to buy just one kilo. A 41-year-old English teacher said: "Even if I have to stand another two hours, I will do that. I can save some money. I have never seen onion prices this high." A Dhaka resident said a lot people her neighbourhood have stopped eating onions. She said: "It has been 15 days since I bought one kilo onion." Many street-food sellers can no longer make their onion-based snacks.
