Study points to futureproofing the onion industry

Like the rest of the world, Bangladesh suffered severely when COVID-19 interrupted its supply chains. The most consumed perishable good in Bangladesh and Asia, onion, was the focus of one 2022 study involving Dr Richard Culas from Charles Sturt’s Gulbali Research Institute in an international collaboration.

The study’s purpose was to examine the current onion supply chain and distinguish the constraints that pre-dated COVID and those that came after.

The project identified the most critical challenges for the market, including constraints related to marketing, demand fluctuations, and storage issues.

In the article published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Research, the research team highlighted how the findings could assist policymakers to design frameworks that include procedures for expanding market infrastructure, providing training, and addressing interruptions to supply. This in turn would decrease the risk of threats to sustainability, as well as futureproof the onion supply chain to protect farmers, wholesalers, commission agents, and retailers who rely on the product for their livelihoods.