Cold storage owners seek 20pc cash incentive for potato export
Thursday, 21 October 2010
FE Report
Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA) leaders urged the government to give 20 per cent cash incentive for sustaining potato export and ensure uninterrupted power supply to warehouses to protect potatoes from rotting.
They also called upon the government to make potato the second staple food of the country through its multiple uses.
BCSA leaders made the calls at a press conference at National Press Club in city Tuesday.
The farmers are being deprived of getting rational price of potato due to fall in demand this year as a kg of potato is sold at Tk 6-9 on the gates of warehouses and Tk 14-15 in retail market though farmers have to count Tk 12 as production cost of per kg potato.
This year, almost ten million tonnes of potato were produced. This quantity is 20 per cent of total agricultural products. Of this, 2.6 million tonnes were stored in 313 cold storages across the country.
Maj (Retd) Jasim Uddin, chairman of BCSA, said in this situation the cold storage owners are frustrated as marginal farmers have become losers due to decline in potato price.
He said the farmers will not cultivate potato in future if they do not get reasonable price of their produce.
Jasim Uddin mentioned that they released 60 per cent of total stored products last year but this year only 30 per cent was released. That is why they are worried about the stored potatoes as after one month new potatoes will arrive in the market, he said.
In this situation the government should take initiative for survival the sector, the BCSA chairman said. The government can sell the potatoes through TCB and distribute these in different relief activities, he suggested.
He, however, mentioned India exports huge quantities of potato to Pakistan, but the government did not take any such initiative in this connection. He requested the government to send potato as relief to Pakistan.
He said they exported 1.7 million tonnes of potato during February and March when cash incentive was 20 per cent. The export fell drastically after March when cash incentive was brought down to 10 per cent, he noted.
He further urged the government to resume activities of four potato flex industries to increase use of potato.
Executive members of the Association Iqbal Hossain, Maj Quamrul Hasan and Nurul Islam were present in the press conference.
Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA) leaders urged the government to give 20 per cent cash incentive for sustaining potato export and ensure uninterrupted power supply to warehouses to protect potatoes from rotting.
They also called upon the government to make potato the second staple food of the country through its multiple uses.
BCSA leaders made the calls at a press conference at National Press Club in city Tuesday.
The farmers are being deprived of getting rational price of potato due to fall in demand this year as a kg of potato is sold at Tk 6-9 on the gates of warehouses and Tk 14-15 in retail market though farmers have to count Tk 12 as production cost of per kg potato.
This year, almost ten million tonnes of potato were produced. This quantity is 20 per cent of total agricultural products. Of this, 2.6 million tonnes were stored in 313 cold storages across the country.
Maj (Retd) Jasim Uddin, chairman of BCSA, said in this situation the cold storage owners are frustrated as marginal farmers have become losers due to decline in potato price.
He said the farmers will not cultivate potato in future if they do not get reasonable price of their produce.
Jasim Uddin mentioned that they released 60 per cent of total stored products last year but this year only 30 per cent was released. That is why they are worried about the stored potatoes as after one month new potatoes will arrive in the market, he said.
In this situation the government should take initiative for survival the sector, the BCSA chairman said. The government can sell the potatoes through TCB and distribute these in different relief activities, he suggested.
He, however, mentioned India exports huge quantities of potato to Pakistan, but the government did not take any such initiative in this connection. He requested the government to send potato as relief to Pakistan.
He said they exported 1.7 million tonnes of potato during February and March when cash incentive was 20 per cent. The export fell drastically after March when cash incentive was brought down to 10 per cent, he noted.
He further urged the government to resume activities of four potato flex industries to increase use of potato.
Executive members of the Association Iqbal Hossain, Maj Quamrul Hasan and Nurul Islam were present in the press conference.