Rajshahi potato farmers fear heavy losses as prices drop

Our Correspondent
RAJSHAHI, Mar 03: Due to a low market price, thousands of potato farmers of the district were worried again to incur massive losses like that of previous year. As a result of such low price, many farmers of the district have also lost their interest to cultivate potato further in their fields.
Sources said last year potato farmers of the district incurred losses. The price was so low that many farmers even did not draw their stored potato from the cold storages and thousands of farmers preferred to feed their cattleheads with potato rather than other fodders because that was far cheaper. For the same reason, potato cultivation in the district has been decreased nearly in 20,000 bighas of land this year than that of the last year.
Many farmers, who traditionally cultivate potato year after year as a cash crop, had once again cultivated potato in their fields even after incurring loss last year. Though early variety of potato is already in the market, the harvesting of potato in the full swing would start by the last leg of first week of March. Due to a huge supply of potato in the markets, the prices of other vegetables have also fallen recently. In local haats and markets of the district, the potato was being sold at Tk 8.0 to Tk 12 per kg. These early harvested potato are not suitable for storing at the cold storages, that is why the farmers need to sell those potato in the open market which is also a reason for a fall in price of potato even during the harvesting season. Moreover, local markets were full of varieties of winter vegetables at a low price which is also a cause of low demand as price of potato.
Farmer Abdul Hannan (35) of Mougacchi area under Mohanpur upazila informed last season they did not get satisfactory price of potato. A sac containing 85 kilogrmme of potato was sold during last harvesting season at Tk 1,300 but soon the price fell abnormally and they have to sell a sac of potato even at Tk 300 only. Due to such low price, many farmers even did not release their potato from the cold storage and the cold storage owners were selling those potatoes at a throwaway price. The low market price of potato this year also indicates a risky storing of potato in the cold storages this year.
A source in Himalayan Cold Storage in Paba upazila said last year the cold storage owners and the potato farmers found it hard to sell their potato because of a very low price of potato throughout the year. Many farmers even did not take delivery of their stored potatoes because the low market price of potato was not covering their cold storage charge for storing. Many farmers used to feed the potato to cattle heads because the price of potato was far less than the cattle feed like grass, straw and grains. Though the cold storage owners have started to book potato in the cold storages from February 10, it is unlikely that traders and farmers would start supplying potato to the cold storages till second week of March.
President's medal winner farmer Rahim Uddin Sarker of Borgachhi area under Paba upazila said he had cultivated potato on 12 bighas of land last year. His sons had also cultivated potato on nearly 150 bighas of land last year and got a good harvest of potato. He hoped, there will be a bumper potato production this year as the climatic condition so far remained suitable. He said due to loss in potato farming last year, many farmers this year remained reluctant to cultivate potato further that is why potato cultivation has decreased in the upazila this year.
Deb Dulal Dhali, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture Extension, Rajshahi, said potato cultivation in the district has been decreased in the district this year. The field condition was still suitable and he hoped, if such climatic condition prevailed, there will be a satisfactory potato production this year.
He further said during the last winter DAE had fixed a target of producing potato on 42,150 hectares of land but actually potato was cultivated on 40,361 hectares of land in the district. He added, due to a low market price of potato, many farmers of the district remained reluctant to grow potato in their field.
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