Consumers feel the sting of potato prices

Potato prices surged to Tk 80-100 per kilo on Monday, in a 25-40-percent spike during the peak harvest season, kitchen-market sources have revealed.

Grocer Riad Hossain from West Dhanmondi said both stored and freshly harvested tubers were being sold at the same inflated rate.

Wholesale prices of all potatoes jumped to Tk 68-75 per kg, with a significant Tk 15-17 per kg rise based on quality, said wholesaler Monowar of the Beribandh-Rayerbazar area.

The limited supply of the new harvest this year has contributed to the comparatively low availability of the kitchen stuff, according to him.

Mr Monowar said the collaboration between big traders and cold-storage owners has led to a further hike in stored potato prices by Tk 12-14 per kg in the past three days.

Actually, this price hike has left consumers with no affordable options this season, he added.

Two spells of cyclone have caused a three-week delay in potato cultivation this year, resulting in a limited supply even in the last week of December, an agricultural extension official explained.

However, favourable weather conditions later prompted farmers to cultivate on a large scale. The DAE official predicts a harvest of 11.6 million tonnes by April from 0.462 million hectares based on current weather conditions.

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