Editorial
Heaps of potatoes risk going waste
Govt must help farmers store it safely
POTATO growers in Munshiganj, the country's prime potato production zone, are reported to be facing huge financial losses, despite a bumper harvest this year. The prices of potatoes have fallen by around 25 per cent as the farmers are forced to sell their products at lower prices in the absence of cold storage facilities. The cold storages have allegedly been hired well in advance by the middlemen, leaving no space for the farmers.
This is another example of the farmers being deprived of the real value of their products, thanks to the tactics adopted by middlemen. They can and do manipulate the market by creating a situation where the poor farmers are left with one losing option -- selling potato at a price that does not even cover production costs. Their predicament was aggravated in the first place by increased prices of agricultural inputs.
The farmers cannot of course come out of the vicious cycle on their own. Even if they were in a position to avail themselves of the existing storage facilities, they could preserve only around 50 per cent of their produce. So, the storage facilities are clearly very inadequate. And it is evident that proper planning and creation of the required facilities for storing farm products are areas where the agriculture department has made little headway.
Potatoes come very close to being seen as an alternate staple, particularly when production of rice falls far short of our requirement. The prices of potatoes remain within reach of most consumers but have not fallen much by virtue of a bumper harvest. However, the situation may soon change for the worse if the farmers are frustrated by lack of cold storage facilities leading to damage of the produce. They may even veer away from this much of potato cultivation.
So, creation of storage facilities resistant to the kind of manipulation witnessed in Munshiganj must be high on the agriculture department's agenda. In fact, such facilities are required for many other agricultural products. Without question, wastage and lack of storage facilities of farm products will only put further strain on the economy.
We urge the government to build some big cold storage facilities in the areas concerned. Private sector may be given bank loans to add to their capacity. In addition, the local authorities do need to flush the middlemen who are blocking cold storage spaces.
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