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Farmers count losses with unsold potatoes piling up amid cold storage shortage, market manipulation, and lack of exports
Published : 23 Apr 2025, 01:48 AM
A bumper potato harvest this year has failed to bring any relief to farmers across Bangladesh. With production costs unrecovered, thousands are on the brink of financial disaster as their homes and yards overflow with unsold potatoes.
Many farmers say they have no access to cold storage facilities, and as market prices nosedive, they are unable to sell their produce.
They blame a combination of limited storage capacity, exploitation by middlemen at cold storages, market syndicates, and the government’s failure to promote exports.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), potatoes were cultivated on a record 524,000 hectares of land this fiscal year, 15 percent more than last year.
The Bangladesh Cold Storage Association estimates this season’s total production will exceed 10 million tonnes.
Yet the country’s 350 operational cold storages can only store between 3 and 4 million tonnes, leaving farmers with few options.
To tackle the crisis, agricultural officials are advising farmers to explore local, temporary storage methods to protect part of their harvest for later sale.
Munshiganj is one of the top potato-producing districts.
Biplob Kumar Mohonto, the district’s deputy director of agricultural extension, told bdnews24.com: “We can say a significant portion of the potatoes remain unsold. We are advising farmers to store their potatoes locally—in raised platforms or sacks—which may help them secure a better price later.”
However, Tofazzal Hossain, a farmer from Saduria village in Bogura’s Shibganj, sees little hope in that plan.
“This year the fields were infested with pests. If I try to store the potatoes on mounds, I’ll have to use pesticides—adding more cost. Even then, I can’t keep them for more than three months. I’m extremely worried,” he said.
Similar concerns were echoed by farmers in Cumilla, Munshiganj, Bogura, and Rangpur.
POTATOES EVERYWHERE
In Mitholma village of Mokam Union in Cumilla’s Burichang Upazila, farmers Sajjad Hossain and his wife Fahima Akter cultivated potatoes on 150 decimals of land.
The result was a solid yield—around 1,000 maunds.
When bdnews24.com visited their home this week, potatoes were seen everywhere—both inside the house and in the yard.
They have stored about 500 maunds of unsold potatoes in every available corner.
Sajjad said, “We bought seed potatoes at Tk 175 per kg. Overall, the cost came to about Tk 750 per maund. Now in the market, I’m getting only Tk 550 to Tk 600. That’s a loss of Tk 100 to Tk 150 on every maund. Should I really sell at that loss?”
“I’ve taken a huge risk by stacking them up in the yard. If prices improve, I’ll sell. But if it rains before that, everything will be ruined,” he added.
The same situation exists in Bogura’s Shibganj Upazila.
Farmer Babu Mia from Dhamahar village said he harvested 420 maunds from 1.5 hectares of land after spending Tk 230,000.
The market value now is only about Tk 130,000.
Despite visiting several cold storages, he could not find space.
“Middlemen have already bought the booking slips. Most cold storages stopped taking bookings about a month ago,” he said.
Farmers in areas such as Kichok and Mahasthan in Shibganj and several parts of Bogura Sadar also shared similar experiences.
In Rangpur City Corporation’s Ward 7, farmer Atikur Rahman Murad managed to store part of his harvest in a local cold storage but kept most at home.
“Can’t store outside, can’t get into cold storage. These potatoes have become a thorn in my throat,” he said.
“Still, I’ve stored some at home and managed to get a few into cold storage, but overall, we potato farmers are not doing well.”
Murad said he invested Tk 1.1 million to cultivate potatoes on 2.33 hectares.
“I’m not even getting half of that back,” he said.
Similar stories of distress were shared by farmers Mohiful Islam, Selim Mia, Hasan Mia of Chilmon in Ward 9, and Hafizar Rahman of Gopalpur in Badarganj Upazila.
FARMERS QUEUE IN VAIN OUTSIDE COLD STORAGES
Potato growers in Munshiganj are knocking on the doors of cold storages, but many are being turned away as facilities have reached full capacity.
Abbas Mia, a grower from the district’s Muktarpur area, brought his harvest to Allied Cold Storage, but was denied entry.
“They’ve stopped accepting potatoes even from those who had earlier bought storage quotas or slips. Those without slips are in even worse trouble,” said Abbas.
“Now there’s no space at the cold storages. For us farmers, it feels like death is the only option left.”
Shobuj Bepari, another farmer from Muktarpur, expressed similar frustration.
“We’re moving from one cold storage to another with our potatoes. Everyone’s saying there’s no space. Where do we go now? Transporting from one place to another is just increasing our costs. We don’t know what to do,” he said.
“The authorities are saying the storages are full. Now where do we keep the potatoes we’ve harvested?”
According to the DAE, the 58 operational cold storages in Munshiganj have a combined capacity of 540,760 tonnes.
This season, potatoes have been cultivated on 34,758 hectares of land in the district, producing an estimated 1,000,738 tonnes.
But with insufficient storage space, farmers are now in a fix.
“NO SPACE LEFT, NOWHERE TO GO”
A senior official at the DAE said an estimated 12 million tonnes of potatoes have been produced across the country this year, up from 8 million tonnes last year.
While production has increased, the number and capacity of cold storages have not, creating a crisis for farmers.
Some also allege that potatoes are being brought in from other districts, depriving local farmers of storage space.
Humayun Sheikh, a potato grower from Sreenagar in Munshiganj, claimed that potatoes from Rangpur, Joypurhat and Barguna are being stored in cold storages in the district.
“Some unscrupulous traders bought up storage quotas in advance and are now bringing in potatoes from other districts to store. As a result, local farmers are facing huge trouble,” he said.
However, Fakhrul Hasan, manager of the Siddheshwari Cold Storage in Tongibari, denied the allegation.
He claimed local farmers were being accommodated.
“Our facility can store 13,000 tonnes of potatoes. Nine thousand tonnes have already been stored. We’ll reach full capacity in the next day or two. We are charging Tk 300 per sack,” he said.
Accepting that not all potatoes can be stored, Sirajul Islam, deputy director of the DAE in Rangpur, said potatoes have been cultivated on 119,839 hectares in five districts of the Rangpur region this year—about 300 hectares more than the target.
The production target has been set at 2.8 million tonnes, several thousand tonnes more than last year.
Md Nazmul Haque, additional director at the DAE in Bogura, said 1,338,627 tonnes of potatoes have been produced on 60,500 hectares in the district.
However, the 42 cold storages there can store only around 300,000 tonnes.
“Given the priority given to traders, it’s natural that farmers will get fewer opportunities,” he added.
AKM Abdullah, manager of Agomoni Cold Storage in Bogura’s Mahasthan, said their storage reached full booking 15 days ago.
“The number of cold storages is low compared with the amount of potatoes produced in the district. That’s why many farmers can’t store their produce,” he said.
FARMERS URGED TO STORE POTATOES LOCALLY
With cold storages overwhelmed by a bumper potato harvest, agriculture officials are advising farmers to store their produce locally instead of selling it off at throwaway prices.
Munshiganj District Agricultural Marketing Officer Samir Hossain Siam said farmers can store between 25 and 30 tonnes of potatoes at home.
“Storing potatoes at home can actually bring profits in the long run. They don’t rot easily if stored properly, and the weight loss over time is minimal,” he said.
In Bogura’s Shibganj, many farmers have already started building makeshift platforms to store their potatoes.
However, they fear it may not hold for more than two months.
“If the rains intensify, we’ll suffer heavy losses,” one farmer said.
PUSH FOR EXPORTS
Farmers and traders are also calling on the government to expand cold storage capacity and facilitate exports to ease the domestic glut.
Jahangir Sarkar Montu, president of the Munshiganj unit of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), warned of a market collapse.
“The market has already crashed. If we don’t export, there’s no way this excess stock will be sold before December. If we want to save farmers, exporting potatoes is the only way forward,” he said.
Palash Kanti Nag, convenor of the Farmers’ Struggle Committee in Rangpur, criticised the lack of market oversight.
“There’s no government control over the market. Syndicates are running the show, just like during Sheikh Hasina’s regime. So, after the July Uprising and the loss of so many lives, what exactly have we gained?” he said.
Nag also pressed for government initiatives to ensure fair prices for local growers and prioritise potato exports.
Mohammad Shakil Akhter, assistant director at the DAE in Rangpur, said efforts were underway to link farmers with exporters.
“We’re trying to connect farmers with traders so they can export their potatoes. Plans are being made to send potatoes abroad,” he said.
Md Nazmul Haque, additional director at the DAE in Bogura, noted that last year, the district exported 17,138 tonnes of potatoes to Malaysia, Bahrain, Singapore, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Sri Lanka.
“If we could export again this year, it would certainly help the situation,” he said.
[Reporting by Zia Shaheen in Bogura, Farhana Mirza in Munshiganj, Tanvir Dipu in Cumilla, and Aftabuzzaman Hiru in Rangpur; Writing in English by Arshi Fatiha Quazi]
