BD potato price lowest in globe

Potato price in Bangladesh has declined to the lowest in a decade across the globe, as it now stands at US $23-25 per tonne at growers' end.
Most of the potato farmers have failed to get back even 30 per cent of their investment in the current season, which has created a shocking situation for them.  
However, global commodity web-portal IndexMundi showed that export prices of different varieties of potato were hovering between $100 and $350 per tonne on Monday.
"Potato price has fallen to just Tk 1,800-2,000 ($23-25) per tonne (1,000 kg) this week at farmers' level. It is the lowest price range across the globe, considering last ten years' data," said an official at the state-run Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM).     
He said: "The price in Bangladesh is now lower comparing to the price range of even genetically modified potato, grown in China and USA."
"Potato price in neighbouring India is now $60-64 per tonne. It is the second lowest across the world."
 "A bumper production this year, significant stock of last year in cold storages, and lack of adequate storage facility for farmers are responsible for the present price fall," he said.
Deputy director of monitoring unit at DAE Md Rafiqul Hasan told the FE that last year potato production marked a record of 8.6 million tonnes at 0.419 million hectares of land.
"It was the seventh highest production in the world. This year the target has been set at 8.65 million tonnes. Farmers cultivated potato at 0.45 million hectares so far."
Districts in Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions, Bogra, Munshiganj, Manikgnaj, Narshingdi and Kushtia are the country's biggest potato producers.
Price of per 100 kg sack of potato in Ragnpur, Bogra, Rajshahi and Comilla regions were between Tk 180 and Tk 250 at farm level. The price at retail level was Tk 5-6 per kg in Rangpur, and Tk 10-12 per kg in Dhaka and Chittagong.
The sharp fall in potato price, which is a relief for the consumers, is a matter of great concern to the farmers. The farmers have become thunderstruck, as the price of their produce reached at a pathetic level.
"I've got 90 sacks (per sack of 100 kg) of potato from my 7.5 bighas of land, whose market price is now Tk 16,200 against the production cost of Tk 52,500," Merajul Islam, a farmer of Nilphamari, told the FE.
He said: "The nearby cold storages are already fulfilled, and we are still searching for buyers."
Fasiuddin Mian, another potato farmer of Dinajpur, said they have failed to get back even one third of their investment this year. He said: "Potato price is now Tk 180-190 per sack in my area, whereas cold storage charge for the same volume is Tk 420-450." Many of the farmers said they have no access to cold storages.
However, cold storage charge is Tk 4.2-4.5 per kg across the country, according to the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA). BCSA chairman Md Jasim Uddin said nearly 420 cold storages across the country can store 3.6 million tonnes of potato, which is 44 per cent of the total production.
Besides, the cold storages have a stockpile of 1.0 million tonnes of potato from last year's production, he said.
He urged the government for incorporating potato in the government safety-net programmes, like - VGD and VGF.
Agro economist Md Golam Hafiz Kennedy said the government has to adopt a check and balance policy, considering potato production and its actual demand.
"Many of the northern districts are appropriate for onion farming. The DAE should encourage the farmers there for cultivating onion instead of potato." "Potato export should be increased to use the surplus production," he added.
According to the Directorate General of Food (DGoF), annual demand for potato in the country is 6.5-7.0 million tonnes, against its production of 8.6 million tonnes.