Large quantities of potatoes are still lying in cold stores in Kishoreganj. With market prices down sharply, farmers and traders are not taking their stored potatoes out, leaving the cold-store owners in difficulty too.
According to the agriculture department, Pakundia upazila grows potatoes on about 1,300 hectares in an average year. Last financial year the area rose to about 1,450 hectares, and favourable weather gave yields of about 30 tonnes a hectare. Output rose in other parts of the country at the same time, supply swelled while demand did not, and prices fell. Farmers and traders stored potatoes in the hope of better prices, but prices have not recovered.
At Purbachal cold store and Egarasindur Cold Storage in Pakundia, rows of sacks fill the chambers. In places workers are opening sacks and sorting potatoes, but little stock is being released. Farmers and traders fear that once transport and other costs are added, taking the potatoes out would only deepen their losses.
By their account, production, transport and storage together cost Tk 23 to 24 a kilogram, while potatoes are selling for Tk 10 to 12, a loss of Tk 11 to 14 a kilogram. Ripon Mia, a farmer from Sukhia village, said he stored his potatoes hoping for a good price and now cannot find buyers; he is struggling even to cover the storage charge.
Rafiqul Islam, a trader from Hossainpur, has 2,200 sacks at Egarasindur Cold Storage. Buying, transport and rent have cost him Tk 23 to 24 a kilogram. He had hoped to sell at Tk 16 to 17, but the price has fallen to Tk 10 to 11, a loss of Tk 11 to 12 a kilogram.
Delwar Hossain, manager of Purbachal cold store, said 5,500 tonnes were stored there this season and 4,000 tonnes have been released; most of what remains is seed potato. Altaf Hossain, an engineer who manages Egarasindur Cold Storage, said 83,500 sacks had been released up to 7 November and 55,614 remain. The deadline for release is 15 November, and it looks unlikely that everything will be out by then; an extension of another 15 days may be considered for farmers and traders.
Pakundia upazila agriculture officer Nure E Alam said potatoes were planted on about 150 hectares more than usual last year and yields were good. With output up across the country, demand fell short of supply, so prices have stayed low for a long time and farmers have suffered losses.
This report is based on a dispatch from Krishi Shomoy's Kishoreganj correspondent.
Source: Krishi Shomoy
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