Amid the skyrocketing prices of onions, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has appeared in the field to find out the reasons behind the abnormal price hike of onions.

According to NBR data, some 167,000 metric tonnes of onions were imported in the last three months, but the prices still keep soaring.

“That’s why the government has asked the NBR to look into the matter. The CIID with all details of 332 onion importers is now in action,” a senior official at the NBR said.

The CIID is investigating the data of imported onions and their supply in the market.

It said 167,806.47 metric tonnes of onions had been imported through Banglabandha, Benapole, Bhomra, Hilli, Sona Masjid, Teknaf, Chattaogram and Dhaka customs houses this year before India imposed ban on onion export to Bangladesh.

“But the onion prices keep surging. To dig out the reason, the CIID questioned 47 importers on November 25 and 26,” the senior NBR official said.

He said it has summoned importers who imported over 1,000 tonnes of onions between August 2019 and November 18 this year.

These importers appeared before the CIID with information on the quantity of onion they sold as well as the names and addresses of the persons to whom the onions were sold.

The NBR has the information the imported onions are being hoarded illegally aiming to create an artificial crisis in the market. Besides, there are allegations of money laundering in the name of onion import.

“We’re trying to identify the businessmen who’re trying to create an unstable situation in the country through an artificial crisis,” a senior CIID official told UNB.

He said the onion stock in the country was enough and there was no reason to suffer from any such crisis.

“But hoarding of onion by some dishonest businesspeople has created this crisis…some importers have formed a strong syndicate…they didn’t take any step to sell the onion when it was rotting in godowns. As a result, the price shot up to Tk 250 in the retail market,” he said.

The CIID sources said 2.52 lakh tonnes of onions were imported during the July-October period of the current fiscal year, while 11.37 lakh tonnes  during the July-June period of the fiscal 2018-19.

According to the data of Department of Agricultural Extension, the production of onion in the country is 23 lakh metric tonnes against the demand of 25 lakh metric tonnes.  But 30-35 percent onion gets rotten for lack of proper preservation. As a result, the country has to import 8-10 lakh metric tonnes of onion.

Meanwhile, the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has scaled up the sale of onions at Tk 45 per kilogramme at divisional and district levels throughout the country, including 50 locations in capital Dhaka.

Earlier this month, locally-grown onion was sold at Tk 100-120 per kg in the kitchen markets in the capital. But the price jumped to Tk 160 on November 12 and then kept rising.

Although several consignments of onions have been brought in by air, city dwellers are yet to see its impact on the market.