Badc seeds in the area are under the control of syndicates, sources said.

The demand for potato seeds in the eight districts is about 1.55 lakh tonnes this year, according to sources in Badc Seed Marketing Department here. Badc along with some NGOs like Brac, Prosika and Rdsa meet 25 to 30 per cent of the demand.

But it has supplied only 1,065 tonnes against the total demand for 1.55 lakh tonnes this season.

In Nilphamari, Badc supplied only 130 tonnes against the demand for 25,712 tonnes, Badc sources said.

Farmers prefer Badc potato seeds because those are produced and preserved scientifically and almost disease-free.

This year, Badc decided to sell 30 per cent of its seeds directly to farmers and 70 per cent through about 300 dealers in the eight districts.

But farmers can not avail the chance because, as a condition, a farmer has to buy at least one metric ton seeds at Tk 25,000, which they can not afford.

So the potato seeds ultimately go in the hands of dealers and traders, who, in alleged league with upazila agriculture officials, have formed syndicates to control the market, the sources said.

Visiting different seeds markets in the area, this correspondent found that a 40 kg bag of Badc's A-grade potato seeds was sold at Tk 1,600 to 1,800 against the government price of Tk 1,000 and B-grade seeds at Tk 1,300-1,400 against Tk 920.

Officials at the Regional Agriculture Extension Department in Rangpur said potato cultivating target in the eight northern districts is 1,05,190 hectares this year--16,475 in Nilphamari; 4,550 in Lalmonirhat; 4,461 in Kurigram; 6,570 hectors in Gaibandha; 32,875 in Rangpur; 11,400 in Thakurgaon; 5,500 in Panchagarh; and 23,359 hectares in Dinajpur. The production target is 16,34,652 tonnes.

November is the peak seas but due to seed crisis, potato has been sown in only 13,938 hectares so far, the sources said.

Only 14 per cent of the target has been achieved though half of the sowing season has passed.

The quantity of seeds supplied by the private sector this year is very inadequate because most farmers and traders sold their seeds preserved at cold storages because the prices were three to four times higher than in previous years. Besides, last year's massive pest attack also reduced the seed output.

Syed ali, owner of Mukta Cold Storage in Jaldhaka, said his cold storage has a capacity to preserve one lakh bags (each weighing 80 kg). Now, he has only 10,000 bags of seed potato, which was about 50,000 last year.

At Kishoreganj seeds market, a big farmer from Panialpukur village said every year he used to cultivate potato on 15 to 20 bighas. Due to seed crisis, he will sow potato only in 8 to 10 bighas this year.

When contacted, Deputy Director (DD) of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Shakhawat Hossain admitted that potato sowing target might not be achieved this year due to seed crisis.