District wise cold storage for potatoes
Thursday, 1 April 2010
The government traditionally provides price support to rice growers at harvest time. It procures rice and paddy from the areas with surplus output. In the lean season when price shoots up the government releases the rice at low price for public benefit. The acts are intended to take care of the interests of the growers as well as the consumers.
Such support is essential to protect the potato growers as well. This year they grew about 10 million tonnes of potato, the highest ever national output. Harvest season is about to close. The growers are getting Tk 5.0 to Tk 6.0 per kg though the consumers have to pay Tk 13.0 to Tk 14.0 in the retail market. Only three million tonnes of potato could be stored in the cold storages. It means, a big quantity of potato will rot due to lack of storage space.
The consumers have to pay a high price at the end of the season each year. Last year one kg potato was sold for Tk 34 in Dhaka retail market. But the growers did not get the due price. The government should set up 65 cold storages in as many districts to support areas that grow potato. A 10.000 tonnes cold storage could be set up by Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) in each district to support the growers. It would stop the waste and provide the support to keep the price at reasonable levels for the growers as well as the consumers. The facilities would be good also to store potato seeds of BADC for the next crop.
The government should initiate a project under BADC to keep up potato production year after year. Supportive price and good seeds would encourage the growers.
Md Ashraf Hossain
Email: mah120cb@yahoo.com
120, Central Bashabo, Dhaka-1214.
Such support is essential to protect the potato growers as well. This year they grew about 10 million tonnes of potato, the highest ever national output. Harvest season is about to close. The growers are getting Tk 5.0 to Tk 6.0 per kg though the consumers have to pay Tk 13.0 to Tk 14.0 in the retail market. Only three million tonnes of potato could be stored in the cold storages. It means, a big quantity of potato will rot due to lack of storage space.
The consumers have to pay a high price at the end of the season each year. Last year one kg potato was sold for Tk 34 in Dhaka retail market. But the growers did not get the due price. The government should set up 65 cold storages in as many districts to support areas that grow potato. A 10.000 tonnes cold storage could be set up by Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) in each district to support the growers. It would stop the waste and provide the support to keep the price at reasonable levels for the growers as well as the consumers. The facilities would be good also to store potato seeds of BADC for the next crop.
The government should initiate a project under BADC to keep up potato production year after year. Supportive price and good seeds would encourage the growers.
Md Ashraf Hossain
Email: mah120cb@yahoo.com
120, Central Bashabo, Dhaka-1214.