Anisul Islam Noor :
The newly harvested imported Indian potatoes have already flooded Bangladesh markets. They are being sold at much higher prices than the last year’s surplus local potatoes. As a result, the growers are badly affecting due to fall of demand of their products.
While local farmers, traders and cold storage owners are struggling hard with the surplus potatoes on account of poor demand, a substantial volume of potatoes is being imported from the neighbouring India, business insider said.
Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA) sources said, farmers and traders preserved nearly 53 lakh tonnes of potatoes in cold storages this year. And of them, more than half has been sold since the first week of December.
BCSA chairman Md. Mosharaf Hossain told reporters that more than 2.5 million tonnes of potatoes might remain unsold at 396 cold storages in the country following a decrease of demand.
He said, the stored potatoes are now selling below Tk 10 a kg in cold storage against the cost of Tk 16 to Tk 17, including the cold storage charge.
Furthermore, the traders and farmers were not withdrawing their stored potatoes from the cold storage following the falloff.
In the name of local early varieties, the imported potatoes have been selling at Tk 40 to 50 per kg in the city in the last few weeks, which is being brought at Tk 24 to 25 per kg.
In contrast, the locally stored potatoes were traded at Tk 20-Tk 24 (diamond, granola) and Tk 28-Tk 30 (carrage) a kg in the capital last week.
Shohag Mia, a vegetable vendor at Shantinagar Bazar in the city, said he bought new potato at Tk 35 per kg at Karwan Bazar on Saturday and was selling Tk 50 per kg. He said the newly harvested potatoes was imported from India.
Potatoes from Rangpur and Bogra regions usually meet the demands for the new crop in October-November period, he said.
“But this year they are not getting the crop potatoes from the regions as farming were affected owing to heavy rain there,” he said.
“We are purchasing potatoes from importers at Shyambazar and Karwan Bazar to meet the demand,” he said.
The BCSA Chairman said, the traders and the farmers are not withdrawing their stored potatoes from the cold storage following the falloff.
The government should restrict potato import, especially during the December-April period, to protect local farmers and traders from being ruined, he said.
