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Onion emergency in Bangladesh
PRINT ALL READINGS (PDF)Onions - Level 0
Onions are important in Bangladesh. It is difficult to buy them. There is a shortage. Prices have gone up from US36 cents to around $3.25 a kilo. Bangladesh usually buys them from India. Recent heavy rain in India damaged its onion harvest. India stopped selling onions to Bangladesh. There may be protests because of this.
The onion crisis is very serious. The Prime Minister has stopped using onions. Hundreds of people waited for hours to buy one kilo. One person said he would wait for longer to save some money. In one area in Dhaka, people stopped eating onions 15 days ago. Street-food sellers cannot make onion-based snacks.
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Onions - Level 1
Onions are important in Bangladesh food, but it is difficult to buy them. There is a shortage. Prices have gone up a lot, from US36 cents to around $3.25 a kilo. This is nearly a ten-fold increase. Many Bangladeshis cannot afford them. Bangladesh usually imports them from India. Recent heavy rain in India damaged a lot of its onion harvest. India banned exports to Bangladesh. There may be nationwide protests because of the record onion prices.
The onion crisis is very serious. The Prime Minister stopped using onions in her cooking. She is using other things. Some onions are on sale at twice their usual price. Hundreds of people queued for hours to buy one kilo. One person said he would stand for longer to save some money. A Dhaka resident said her neighbours have stopped eating onions. She last bought a kilo of onions 15 days ago. Street-food sellers cannot make onion-based snacks.
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Onions - Level 2
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Onions are very important in Bangladesh cooking. However, it is more difficult to buy them. There is a shortage. This means prices have gone up a lot. The price of one kilogram has risen from US36 cents to around $3.25. This is nearly a ten-fold increase. Many Bangladeshis now cannot afford to buy onions. Bangladesh usually imports them from its neighbour India. Recent monsoon rain in India damaged a lot of India's onion harvest. This made India ban exports to Bangladesh. Bangladesh's opposition party has called for nationwide protests because of the record prices.
The onion crisis is very serious. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed has stopped using it in her cooking. She is using onion alternatives in her dishes. Some onions are on sale in Dhaka markets at twice their usual price. Hundreds of people queued for hours to buy one kilo. One person said he would stand for two hours more to save some money. He has never seen onion prices so high. A Dhaka resident said people in her neighbourhood have stopped eating onions. She last bought a kilo of onions 15 days ago. Many street-food sellers can no longer make their onion-based snacks.
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Onions - Level 3
Onions are very important in Bangladeshi cuisine. The vegetable is a staple in the country's cooking. However, many people are finding it difficult to buy onions. There is a shortage of them, which means prices have rocketed. Many Bangladeshis simply cannot afford to buy onions. Bangladesh traditionally imports onions from its neighbour India. Recent heavy monsoon rains in India damaged a lot of India's onion harvest. This has made India ban exports to Bangladesh. The price of one kilogram of onions in Bangladeshi markets has risen from US36 cents to around $3.25. This is nearly a ten-fold increase. Bangladesh's opposition party has called for nationwide protests over the record prices.
The onion crisis is so serious that even the Prime Minister has stopped using it in her cooking. Sheikh Hasina Wazed said she is using onion alternatives in her dishes. A limited number of onions are on sale in several Dhaka markets at twice their usual price. Hundreds of people queue for 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 of people in her neighbourhood have stopped eating onions. She said: "It has been 15 days since I bought one kilo of onion." Many street-food sellers can no longer make their onion-based snacks.
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25 online activities | 27-page printable | 2-page mini-lesson
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