Low potato price hits growers hard in Chuadanga

CHUADANGA, Jan 21: The potato farmers of Chuadanga district have become frustrated and cannot recoup the production cost due to sharp fall in price of the crop in the local markets this year.

Many farmers are returning home with their yield as they cannot sell it due to low price in the market.

Despite high irrigation cost, high price of fertilisers, pesticide and labour the farmers here could grow the potato abundantly.

While visiting the vegetables   markets in  Dugdugi bazar, Karpashdanga, Darshona of  Damurhuda Upazila and Asmankhali, Gokulkhali of Alamdanga  Upazila this correspondent found that potato is being sold only at Tk 5 to Tk 6 per kg against Tk 12 to Tk 13 last year

According to Department of Agriculture Extention (DAE) office of Chuadanga, a total of 1357 hectares of land have been brought under potato cultivation this season in the district .They had also set a production target of 32568 metric tonne of potato.

One potato  grower  Zafar Ali  of village  Belgachhi  under  Chuadanga sadar Upazila said that he had spent Tk 40,000 to cultivate potato   on  two bighas of land including irrigation ,labour , fertiliser, pestisides and other cost but he got Tk 36,000 to sell the crop in the local market.

DAE deputy director of Chuadanga Mr Horibula Sarkar said 'The farmers of the district had made good profit in the previous year .As a result, in the hope of more profit they cultivated  potato  on their land but there is no sign of making profit.'