Sylhet Correspondent :
The potato growers of Sylhet district have become frustrated over low price of the vegetable as they have failed to recoup the production cost from cultivation of the crop this year.
Sharp fall in price of their produce following increased production cost is likely to cause a loss of Tk 5 crore to the potato farmers in Sylhet this season.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said potato was cultivated on more land that it was last year and it has also grown well in the district this season.
But the price of the crop at the local markets after the harvest was found disappointing to the growers, with which it is even not possible for them to recover the production cost, sources said.
The growers are facing loss of Tk6.5 per kg of the vegetable.
According to the DAE, a target was set to cultivate potato on 750 hectares of land expecting to produce 3,571 tonnes of the item.
But due to favourable climate and good price of the crop last year, farmers cultivated potato on one and a half times higher land than the target and also got good yield.
According to the sources, total 30,356 tonnes of potato has been produced in the district this season.
