Potato growers block highway

Potato growers have staged demonstrations and blocked a highway in Rangpur city to press home their eight-point demand, including compensation for the affected growers of the vegetable in the district. The other demands include purchasing potato by the government from the growers, fixing potato preservation cost at Tk 150 per sack in cold storages and providing loans to the growers. Witnesses said over 400 growers from different upazilas under the banner ‘Samajtantrik Khetmujur and Krishak Front’ blocked Rangpur-Kurigram highway at Mahiganj Satmatha in the northern-most divisional city for several hours from 11am on Wednesday and vented their anger dumping potatoes on the road. Due to the demonstration, vehicular movement on the road remained suspended, causing immense sufferings to passengers, according to UNB.