As the onion market still remains overheated, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday termed the crisis temporary, saying there is nothing to worry about it. “The crisis is temporary. It won’t last for long. There’s nothing to worry,” she said while addressing a press conference at her official residence Ganobhaban on her Azerbaijan tour for attending the 18th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The Prime Minister said 55,000 tonnes of onions are entering the country. Foods can be cooked without onion, she said, adding that many items are cooked without onion at her residence, too. On Monday, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said 7,000-8,000 tonnes of onion would be brought from Egypt by the first week of November. The Commerce Ministry also said the overheated onion market is expected to cool down within the next couple of days when big consignments of onions from a number of countries will enter the country. It said some big importers are importing onions in huge consignments from Egypt and Turkey at the request of the Commerce Ministry. On September 29, the Indian government banned the export of onions with immediate effect till further orders for what it says improving domestic availability.
