Dhaka, Nov. 27 -- Agriculture Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said on Wednesday that the government has withheld onion imports to protect the interests of local farmers."There is no onion shortage. Prices had climbed to Tk120-130 but have since eased to around Tk95-100.

A group of traders is pressuring us to open imports and has even approached various courts for permission," he told reporters after a review meeting on the Agriculture Ministry's Annual Development Programme at the Secretariat.

He said summer onions have already begun arriving in markets and newly harvested onions are coming in as well. "So, there is no possibility of prices rising again," he added.

Turning to potatoes, the adviser noted that farmers su...