Scientists of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) are hoping that chives can be used as an alternative to garlic and onion. They released a high yielding variety of this crop named Chive1 in 2017.
Dr Nur Alam Chowdhury, a senior scientist of the Spices Research Centre at BARI said: “After a lot of extensive research, we finally succeeded in developing a sustainable variant of this Chinese, Siberian, and Mongolian spice [chives]. This can replace onion or garlic in times of need as it has a similar taste profile.”
Since India’s ban on onion exports from September 29, prices of the kitchen staple soared in the country. According to 2017 data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), about 17.35 tons of onions are produced in the country but the demand for it stands at 22 tons. Hence, the shortfall in domestic production is met by imports.
Chives are being cultivated in the hilly areas of Sylhet and Chittagong. Scientists find great potential in its cultivation in the onion producing areas of the country like Faridpur, Pabna, Rajbari, Meherpur, Kushtia, Magura, Bogra, and Lalmanirhat.
To combat onion shortage in the country, agricultural scientists of the country have taken steps to expand the cultivation of Chives-1 through both government and non-government organizations (NGOs).
Dr Shoilendra Nath Majumdar, chief scientist of the Spices Research Centre at BARI told: “Chives are an ideal spice to replace onion and garlic in cooking, and it is even healthier. The shortage of onions and garlic will be mitigated if chives can be widely cultivated.”
