Rows of unsold potato sacks in Chandpur's cold storage reflect a season of financial pressure for farmers, as low market prices limit withdrawals and sales.
In local markets, old potatoes are selling for Tk 7–8 per kilogram (US$0.06–0.07), below production and storage costs, reducing incentives for farmers to release stored volumes, locals said. At the same time, unpaid dues for seed potatoes bought on credit remain outstanding, while storage fees continue to accrue.
Agriculture officials said Chandpur has 56,860 potato farmers, mainly in Chandpur Sadar, Matlab South, and Kachua upazilas. Potato cultivation currently covers around 5,000 hectares. Despite the downturn, planting continues, although many growers have reduced acreage following last season's losses.
"The absence of syndicates this season has kept potato prices low," said Mobarak Hossain of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE). "Last season, syndicates pushed prices up to Tk 80 per kilogram (US$0.73). That situation does not exist this year," he said.
The impact extends across the supply chain. Cold storage operators in Kachua Upazila report reduced activity as farmers delay withdrawals. Mangal Khan and Yasin Mia, managers at local facilities, said that at current market prices, sales do not cover storage costs.
Last season's bumper harvest added pressure. Good-quality old potatoes now trade at Tk 8–10 per kg (US$0.07–0.09), while new potatoes sell for about Tk 20 per kg (US$0.18). "I produced 100 maunds of potatoes and made no profit at all; everything turned into a loss," said Bachchu Miji, a grower and trader at Bakila Bazar in Hajiganj upazila. Farmers in Chandpur Sadar reported similar outcomes.
Hanif Patwary said his 33 sacks of potatoes stored at Baborhat BSCIC cold storage sold for Tk 3,000 per 50 kg sack (US$27). "After suffering such losses, I will not cultivate potatoes again," he said.
More than half of the stored potatoes in Kachua upazila remain in cold storage beyond the typical November–December withdrawal period. Prices of other vegetables have also eased, with beans, snake beans, bitter gourd, and carrots at Tk 60 per kg (US$0.55), and tomatoes at Tk 40 per kg (US$0.36), down from Tk 90–120 per kg (US$0.82–1.09) two weeks earlier.
New potatoes arriving from Munshiganj have further pushed prices down from Tk 70 per kg (US$0.64) to Tk 20 per kg (US$0.18). Chandpur's 10 cold storages currently hold 80,169 tonnes of potatoes against a capacity of 80,250 tonnes.
Abu Taher, Deputy Director of DAE Chandpur, said the cultivation target for the current season has been reduced to 7,200 hectares, down 1,000 hectares from last year, citing farmer losses and debt levels.
Source: UNB
