Bangladesh is urgently importing onions by air as the price of the essential ingredient in local dishes soars to record highs, Channel News Asia reports.

The prices spiked since neighboring India banned exports in late September. It implemented the ban after heavy monsoon rains reduced the crop.

Hasina's deputy press secretary Hasan Jahid Tusher said the country was importing onions by air freight, and that "Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina) said she has stopped using onion in dishes".

None of the dishes at the PM's residence in Dhaka on Saturday contained onions, he added.

Several onion consignments arrived at a major port in Chittagong city on Sunday after Dhaka faced a public outcry. The country imported bulbs from Myanmar, Turkey, China and Egypt.

One kilo of the vegetable usually costs 30 taka (US$0.36) but has recently soared to up to 260 taka.

Click here for the full article.