Farmers selling potatoes at dirt cheap prices after 2 bad seasons

Potato growers in Bangladesh are grappling to recover their investment as prices of the tuber crop have fallen below their production cost this season, according to various farmers.

"So instead of turning a profit, we are struggling to save our investment," said Taroni Chandra Roy, a farmer of Nawabganj upazila in Dinajpur.

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And considering that farmers faced a similar setback last year, it has now become a matter of survival.

During a recent visit to Dinajpur and Rangpur, it was found that farmers are selling potatoes for about Tk 6 to Tk 8.5 per kilogramme (kg), which is Tk 4 to Tk 3 less than the production cost.

Experts say this situation arose as potato farmers across the country began harvesting the crop almost simultaneously, flooding the market with the tuber crop and bringing down prices as a result.

Potato is grown all over Bangladesh but the main supply comes from northern districts, such as Rangpur.

Potato cultivation usually starts in the northern districts at the end of September while the harvesting season continues till late April each year, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

While speaking with The Daily Star, farmers of Dinajpur, Joypurhat, Thakurgaon and Rangpur said the prices were reasonable up till December last year but have dropped significantly since early January.

"The situation is quite despairing and there is no sign that prices will get better anytime soon," said Manik Chandra Roy, a farmer of Kaharol upazila in Dinajpur.

So far, Roy has suffered losses of Tk 6 lakh from the sale of potatoes previously stored.

A few farmers got better prices by cultivating fast-growing varieties of potato that sold for about Tk 1,500 to Tk 2,000 per 76 kilogramme-bag in early December last year.

However, even the price of those crops has fallen significantly this season, said farmers. Different varieties of potato, including Granola, Cardinal and Holland, are available in the domestic market.

Suruj Mia, a farmer of Pirgachha upazila in Rangpur, cultivated potatoes on one acre of land at an expense of Tk 40,000, which was borrowed.

He started harvesting the crop last week but has since been left dismayed by the prevailing prices.

"I was offered Tk 5 per kg for the Granola variety, which falls far short of its production cost," Suruj said.

Besides, there are other associated costs to consider, such as labour and transportation, he added.

Suruj was eventually forced to sell his crops at giveaway prices in order to save his investment.

Al Amin Mia, another farmer of Pirgachha, said people like him were now drowning in debt after suffering such losses in two consecutive seasons.

"The situation is so bad that I had to sell my entire harvest to a wholesaler on credit," he added.

Jahangir Alam, a wholesale potato trader in Rangpur, said while the market supply has increased amid the peak harvesting season, prices also fell because of decreased demand.

"But the situation will improve in the future," he said.

At least 97,290 hectares of land have been brought under potato cultivation in five districts under Rangpur division, namely Rangpur, Nilphamari, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Gaibandha, said the DAE officials.

Of the total land being used, potato is being grown on 51,840 hectares in Rangpur alone, which is 2,000 hectares higher than last season.

Obaidur Rahman, an agronomist of the DAE in Rangpur, said potato production will likely exceed this year's target thanks to favourable weather conditions.

He went on to say that potatoes being harvested now cannot be stored for long but farmers are still clearing the crop from their fields in order to prepare the land for the upcoming paddy season.

"So, this situation could have been averted if harvesting was delayed," Rahman said.

Ashraful Islam, a farmer of Mazadanga village under Dinajpur sadar upazila, said he suffered losses of Tk 17,000 because of the fall in prices. He cultivated potatoes on one-and-a-half bighas of land this year.

The situation is similar in other northern regions such as Thakurgaon and Panchagarh, farmers said.

In Joypurhat, farmers are selling their produce dirt cheap.

Growers from all over come to sell potatoes at Natunhat in Dinajpur sadar upazila every morning but the prices being offered are a cause for despair, farmers said.

Each maund (around 37 kgs) of potato is trading between Tk 300 to Tk 450 depending on quality and variety.

Khandakar Md Mezbahul Islam, a former agronomist of the Rangpur DAE, said such problems occur year after year due to a lack of planning in this respect.

Such problems arose as the market supply increased after harvesting of the seasonal crop started altogether across the country.

"The solution is to harvest the potatoes being grown in different districts at separate times," he said, adding that around 1.06 crore tonnes of potato are produced in the country each year against an annual consumption of about 80 lakh tonnes.

"Farmers suffer losses for such surplus production. Each kg of potato should be available for between Tk 25 to Tk 30 in local markets," Islam added.