Potato price fall in Nilphamari
Farmers, cold storage owners worried as they would incur huge loss
Potato farmers and traders in the district are frustrated as they may have to incur huge losses due to the drastic fall in prices recently.
Owners of seven cold storages in the district are also anxious as they still have around 42,000 tonnes of unsold potatoes from last season's harvest.
Due to the falling market price, farmers and traders are unwilling to withdraw their potato from the cold storages.
Belal Hossain, president of Nilphamari Hat-Bazar Traders Group, said each sack of cardinal and diamond variety of potato containing 85 kilogram is now sold for between Tk 850 to Tk 900, whereas it cost Tk 1300 including, potato price, cold storage charge and carrying cost, for the farmers and traders.
Nearly 4.35 lakh tonnes of potatoes were produced last season cultivating over 24,000 hectares of land in the district, Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer Anwarul Islam of the Department of Agriculture Extension in Nilphamari said.
Of the produce, 60,000 tonnes were stored in seven cold storages in the district, he said.
Farmer Saiful Islam, who stored 500 sacks of potato in Shawon Himagar in Domar upazila, said, “If the situation continues I will not withdraw my potato from the cold storage paying charge of Tk 350 for each bag.”
Managing Director of Sajeda Cold Storage Ltd Tofayel Md Azam said if the farmers and traders do not withdraw potato in time it will start rotting and they will suffer difficulties in paying bank loans, electricity bills and maintenance cost.