Potato prices in Bangladesh have fallen sharply due to oversupply, with retail prices dropping to about US$0.13–0.18 per kilogram (Tk 15–20) and cold storage gate prices declining to US$0.08–0.10 (Tk 9–11). Farmers and cold storage operators said the production cost far exceeds the current selling price, around US$0.14–0.15 (Tk 15–16) per kilogram.
The government had set the cold storage gate price at US$0.19 (Tk 22) and pledged to buy 50,000 tons of potatoes from farmers to stabilise the market. However, procurement has not yet begun, leading to further price drops.
Bangladesh produced a record 11.5 million tons of potatoes in the 2024–25 season, up 9% from 10.6 million tons the previous year, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Potatoes were planted on 492,000 hectares, while annual demand stands at about 9 million tons, including 1 million tons for seed.
Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu, president of the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA), said that "about 9–10 lakh MT of consuming potato and 9 lakh MT of seed potato stocked at cold storages across the country." He added, "The government committed to procure about 50,000 tons of potatoes against our request, but so far, they have failed to procure the amount."
He said poor monitoring and unfulfilled incentive promises worsened the market situation. "The government also promised to provide incentives for the farmers, but they didn't start providing these yet," he said.
Roughly 2 million tons of potatoes remain in more than 350 cold storage facilities nationwide. The next harvest, expected in December, could further pressure prices if old stocks remain unsold.
The main producing districts, Munshiganj, Rangpur, Bagura, Rajshahi, Naogaon, and Joypurhat, reported bumper yields, but farmers are selling below cost, and some stocks are starting to spoil. Despite losses, many growers have already started planting early varieties for the new season.
Bangladesh exported about 62,000 tons of potatoes and processed products worth US$40 million in FY25, according to the Export Promotion Bureau.
Source: NewAge
