The government will sit with onion traders today, as the prices of the vegetable are yet to come down with only few days left for Eid-ul-Azha, one of the largest festivals of Muslims when onion is used in cooking widely.

Although there was no supply shortage, onion prices did not decrease to the expected level, a commerce ministry official said.

"We will sit with the businessmen to discuss the onion supply and import situation in the markets,” said Monoj Kumar Roy, additional commerce secretary.

According to the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), imported onion was selling at between Tk 65 and Tk 85 a kg, while the local ones at between Tk 80 and Tk 85 a kg in the city's kitchen markets.

Prices of imported onion in Bangladesh increased over 200 percent year-on-year, as continuous bad weather in India— the country's main source of the vegetable—created a supply crunch. India hiked its export price to $900 a tonne from $250.

Roy said the private sector businessmen are importing onion from Myanmar, China and Pakistan, apart from India, to meet the local demand.

"Everyday 500 tonnes of onion on average are being imported from Myanmar." The consumers are yet to get used to having imported onions from other than India, especially from China, he said.

TCB started selling onion atTk 55 a kg in open markets last month to cool down its prices, but no impact was seen.

The TCB's network is limited and it cannot reach the peripheral areas, Roy said, adding that only 25 areas are under the coverage of TCB. "We are planning to import onion through TCB after the Eid-ul-Azha."