Shibganj UZ of Bogra earns reputation for quality potato

A total of 250 tonnes of potato have already been exported to Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, Italy, North Korea and some other countries.

March 18, 2018 00:00:00

BOGRA: A worker packaging potato at a field before transportation to a company for export to foreign countries - FE Photo.

Emdadul Haque

BOGRA, Mar 17: Shibganj upazila of the district is well-known for producing quality potatoes. The locally-produced potatoes have a high demand across the country. The vegetable is also being exported to 12 countries, traders' sources said.

Sources said a total of 250 tonnes of potato have already been exported to Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, Italy, North Korea and some other countries through the Chittagong Sea Port recently and more than 1,500 tonnes are in pipeline. The demand of potatoes produced in Shibganj is increasing in foreign markets.

Brothers International, Al Madina Traders, Madian Trading, BD Food Limited, Shah Akter International Limited, etc. are exporting the item.

Trader Mokabul Hossain said, "We generally prepare 5.0 to 10 kg-pack for easy transportation."

Local sources said representatives of the potato exporters buy the item from the different haats and bazaars in the rural areas. Sometimes they purchase it from the growers directly."

Sub-assistance agriculture officer of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Azizur Rahman said, "A huge amount of potato is produced in the upazila every year. We encourage the farmers to grow the item commercially."

In a recent visit to different kitchen market in the upazila this correspondent found each Lalpakri potato variety is being sold at Tk 300 to Tk 350, Stick at Tk 280 to Tk 320 and Granola at Tk 260 to Tk 270.

According to the DAE, some 0.4 million tonnes of potatoes were produced from some 18,500 hectares of land this season.

Farmers' sources said they produce a good amount of potatoes but they do not get a fair price of their produce.

They claimed that they do not get fair price of their produce for the middlemen. They said a syndication of middlemen make a massive profit depriving the potato cultivators.

In this connection, potato cultivators urged the authority concerned to take immediate steps so that they could get a fair price of their produce.

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