Bangladesh produced a record 11.57 million tons of potatoes in the 2024-25 financial year, up 9.17 per cent from 10.60 million tons in 2023-24, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). The increase was attributed to 35,000 additional hectares planted and favourable weather.
The Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) reported prices fell to US$0.06-0.07 per kg during harvest, compared to a record US$0.64-0.73 per kg in October-November 2024. Prices remain low, affecting farmers, traders, and cold storage operators.
Farmer Suja Uddin from Nilphamari said seed prices of US$0.77-0.86 per kg during October-December 2024 pushed production costs to US$272-318 per bigha (33 decimals). Harvest prices of US$0.06-0.07 per kg were far below the US$0.14-0.18 per kg seen in 2024, with many farmers barely covering costs. He estimated half of the farmers in his village may switch to maize.
Golam Sarwar of the Bangladesh Agricultural Farm Labour Federation (BAFLF) said 90 per cent of farmers are small-scale producers without storage, suffering 15-20 per cent losses this year. He added that seed prices rose 30-40 per cent due to shortages, and no compensation was provided.
Md Ahsanuzzaman Lintu, president of the Bangladesh Agricultural Economists Association, warned losses could prompt farmers to leave potato cultivation, causing market volatility similar to 2024, when prices reached US$0.43-0.73 per kg and the country imported 0.2 million tons. He recommended providing free seeds and fertilisers for one bigha to maintain production.
Cold storage operators and traders purchased large volumes after prices dropped, but storage fees increased by US$0.01-0.03 per kg. The Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA) called on the government to buy potatoes from storage at US$0.21 per kg and include them in the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh's subsidised product list. In a letter to the commerce ministry, BCSA said potatoes are being sold at US$0.12-0.13 per kg from storage, with total costs, including electricity, reaching US$0.21 per kg.
On August 7, Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman chaired a meeting with agriculture, food, and commerce ministry officials, exporters, traders, and cold storage owners. He said there is no budget to add potatoes to the subsidised list. BCSA president Mostafa Azad Chowdhury Babu said the meeting focused on exports, not farmers' issues, and that distributing stored potatoes through government programmes could help sell the extra 1 million tons in storage. He added that 90 per cent of stored potatoes belong to farmers, and unsold stock could lead to US$127 million in losses for storage owners.
Source: The Financial Express
