DHAKA, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi government has launched its countrywide open market sales (OMS) of onion at the subsidized rate amid a huge public outcry due to skyrocketing prices of the essential cooking ingredient in the country.

Also as part of its various efforts to rein in the onion market, the government has taken punitive measures against 2,500 people for manipulating onion prices.

Highlighting measures taken by the government, Bangladeshi Commerce Secretary Md Jafar Uddin said steps are underway to import a huge amount of onions from China, Egypt and Turkey via air cargo following the directives of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Under the OMS program, a salesman of a fair price outlet in Dhaka, said the onion price has been fixed at 46 taka per kg, much lower than that in outside markets.

The OMS price of onion is lower by at least 100 taka a kg from the current retail market price, said the salesman who did not like to be named.

In places in Dhaka, Tuesday, many people were seen stand in queues at the government-run fair-price shops to buy onion at subsidized rate.

In the recent days, Bangladesh people reportedly cut short consumption of onion as prices soared to record 200 taka-250 taka a kg over the last week in capital Dhaka and elsewhere in the country. (1 U.S. dollar equals about 84 taka).