Potato growers worried for lack of storage facility
Hoarders-owners 'nexus' alleged
A large number of small and marginal potato growers in Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts are worried before harvesting the produce as they failed to book space for potato preservation in the local cold storages.
Farmers have blamed 'nexus' between cold storage authorities and a section of middlemen and hoarders for the situation while storage owners claimed that small and marginal farmers were given priority regarding distribution of advance slips for potato preservation.
Storage owners said the space crisis has appeared due to potato cultivation on larger areas of land.
When harvest of potato will start in full swing in the first week of March, growers may have to sell the crop to hoarders at a nominal price due to unavailability of preservation facilities, they said, adding that production will be hampered in the next season if they fail to preserve a portion of their produce.
Seven cold storages in Thakurgaon have capacity to preserve 39,784 tonnes of potato only while two more cold storages with about 7,000 tonne capacity will be set up soon in the district. However, there is no cold storage in Panchagarh.
The potato season begins in November and ends between April and May. The item needs to be stored between April-May and November.
Cold storages in Thakurgaon charge Tk 250 for keeping a 84 kg sack of potato while the preservation cost is between Tk 160 to Tk 180 in adjacent districts, local farmers said.
About 25,125 hectares of land have been brought under potato cultivation this season against the target of 20,110 hectares in Thakurgaon while production target has been fixed at 3,32,000 tonnes, according to the officials of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).
In Panchagarh, potato has been cultivated on about 9,700 hectares of land against the target of 7,208 hectares this season while production target is 1,18,932 tonnes.
This year's potato production target is much higher than the previous years but storage facility in these districts is very inadequate, said DAE officials.
"I cultivated potato on three bighas of land at Sakoa village in Boda upazila. I have failed to get potato reservation slip at this cold storage as authorities told me that they have already completed slip distribution," farmer Shamsuzzoha told this correspondent in front of Giant Cold Storage in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila.
"If I cannot preserve seed potato in cold storage, I will not cultivate potato next season as buying seeds from companies or traders will cost me a lot," he said.
Many farmers of the region have echoed the same.
It will be hard to buy seed potato from traders or seed companies next season as a 84kg sack of potato seeds will cost between Tk 4000 and 5000, said another farmer.
Delwar Hossain, managing director of Shahi Cold Storage, said, "We distributed slips for preserving 15,000 sacks of potatoes to traders while we have capacity for 1,20,000 sacks. Marginal and small farmers were given priorities."
Nurul Huda Swapan, business development manager of Ezab Group, told this correspondent over cell phone that a record 83 lakh tonnes of potato was produced in the country in 2008 while the production may reach 90 lakh tonnes this season.
If the farmers fail to preserve seed potatoes, cultivation will definitely be hampered next season, said Dalil Uddin, deputy director of Thakurgaon DAE.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments