"In the village I saw potato farmers in mourning," former additional secretary Md Mahbub Kabir Milon has written. He made the remark in a post on his verified Facebook account at 9:50am on 6 March.

Mahbub Kabir Milon wrote: "Potatoes are Tk 7/8 a kg in the field this time. Even a beggar would not happily accept Tk 8 as alms. Last time it was Tk 10/12 in the field. Farmers were ruined last time. This time the rest of them will be ruined too."

He wrote: "Because prices were so low last time, everyone thought prices would rise this time. So again everyone rushed into growing potatoes."

Lamenting the situation, he wrote: "With the drums of war beating, potatoes will be available in the market for the price of water. Buyers will survive. But who will save the farmer? Such an unfortunate country, where there is no plan or programme. No coordination. No proper market system."

He ended: "Everyone looks after their own interests. But there is no one for the farmer. In the village I saw potato farmers in mourning."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.