4,000 tonnes high-yielding potato seeds to be imported

About 4,000 tonnes of high yielding variety potato seeds will be imported from the Netherlands in November by private entrepreneurs for cultivation during the next rabi season, reports BSS.brAgriculture ministry sources said the highly productive 'Diamond' variety of potato of the Netherlands is a very profitable to cultivate by the farmers particularly by the growers of Munshiganj area, which produces 80 per cent of the country's total potato output.brBut the growers are worried ovaer the price of potato seeds, as they had to buy seeds at a higher price last year, which resulted in the rise of production cost and ultimately the consumers became the victims of price hike.brKamal Kazi, a potato grower of Munshikandi village under Munshiganj Sadar Upazila, told the news agency that they had to buy a crate (50 kg box) of Diamond potato seeds at a price ranging between Tk 10,000 and Tk 15,000 last year while the import price was only Tk 4,000.brWe had to suffer a lot last year in buying potato seeds due to hoarders creating an artificial crisis. We urge the government to take necessary steps so that the growers do not suffer from such crisis of seeds in the coming season, he said.brMeanwhile, a dilemma has been created between the local agent of supplying company Agrico Potatoes of Holland and the importers centring over the next import and distribution process of the variety. brThe agent and importers are blaming each other due to last year's unusual price hike of potato seeds.brWhen contacted, local agent of Agrico Potatoes, AR Malik said according to the instruction of the supplying company they have to change their policy to help the farmers. brWe ourselves will import the seeds on behalf of the distributors and the dealers and distribute the potato seeds through them to the growers at upazila and union levels at a fixed rate so that the farmers are not cheated, he said.brReplying to a question on monopolising the business, he said, As an agent of the supplier I am not supposed to make any profit. My only concern is to realise tax, VAT and other service charges from the distributors and dealers. The potato seeds will be supplied to the distributors and dealers directly from the Chittagong Port.brElaborating on monitoring of price, Malik said that he was already in close contact with the local administration and requested them to oversee the distribution process with the help of the joint forces.brAgrico Potatoes also sent a letter to the Director General of the Seed Wing in the Ministry of Agriculture saying as the number of persons interested in importing potato seeds have increased significantly it has become impossible for them to satisfy all of them. brAs a result, they have to revise the process preferring a single importer who will distribute the seeds among the distributors and dealers smoothly, the letter said.brExpressing dismay by the steps taken by Agrico Potatoes and its local agent AR Malik, Bangladesh Cold Storage Association President Jashim Uddin said, We don't support this step as it is an unethical attempt to manipulate the market. brWe will file a writ petition challenging the process if Malik goes ahead with it, Jashim said.brSeed Wing Director General Anwar Faruque said that he was aware of the situation and was trying to resolve it by consulting with both the parties.