Potato farmers block highway, demanding fair price, cut in cold storage fees

Potato farmers and traders staged a protest in Birganj, Dinajpur, today, demanding fair prices for potatoes and an immediate halt to what they termed an unjustified hike in cold storage rental fees.

The demonstrators blocked the Dinajpur-Panchagarh highway for an hour, causing severe traffic congestion.

The protest, held at Bijoy Chattar in Birganj town around 11am, saw participation from a large number of farmers and traders.

The blockade was lifted at around 12pm after Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Fazle Elahi assured them that their demands would be addressed within a week.

Md Abdul Malek, president of the Birganj Potato Farmers' and Traders' Association, presided over the event, while Vice President Md Shafiqul Islam, General Secretary Har Sudar Barman, and farmers Kazi Anwar Hasan, Sital Kumar, Md Azizul Islam, and Md Ekramul Haque, among others, spoke.

The speakers voiced concerns over the financial distress of potato farmers and traders this season, adding that despite last year's profits, this year's low market prices and a syndicate-driven increase in cold storage fees had put them at risk of heavy losses.

"Last year, the storage charge for a 60 kg sack of potatoes was Tk 350. Now, it has been raised to Tk 520, even though electricity costs and workers' wages have not increased. We demand to know the justification for this arbitrary hike," a protest leader said.

The demonstrators warned of tougher movements if their demands were not met within seven days.