RANGPUR, Feb 16: Potato growers in five districts under Rangpur agriculture region have become disappointed owing to the plummeting price of their produce during the current season.
According to sources, after getting satisfactory prices of the popular varieties of vegetables during the last several years, farmers of the region were encouraged to cultivate the vegetables plentifully this season.
But due to the current low prices of the vegetables in the markets, their producers have become very much disappointed.
It is learnt, the cost of potato production has increased manifold this season due to price hike of seeds, fertilisers and pesticides and other inputs.
High labour cost has also become an additional burden for the growers.
The drastic price fall has made the growers apprehensive about even recovering the production cost let alone making any profit from the sale of their produce.
Besides, farmers alleged that they would have to pay additional Tk90 to 100 for storing per sack (60 kg) of potato in cold storage as the rent of the facility has also increased this season.
Presently, harvesting of some varieties of potatoes is going on across the region. At present, per kg potato is being sold for Tk 9 to 10 at the growers' level. Consequently, farmers are unable to meet their production cost.
Akmal Mia, a farmer in Kafrikhal area of Mithapukur upazila in Rangpur district, said he cultivated potato on two bighas of land this year. He had to spend around Tk40,000 per bigha for this purpose due to soaring prices of seed, fertiliser and pesticides.
Moreover, he also had to pay additional amount of money for higher labour cost, he added. He is expecting to get around 90 to 100 maunds of potato (3,600 to 4,000 kg) from one bigha.
He said as per the current price, he will get Tk 35,000 to 40,000 per bigha by selling the crop. So, there would be no possibility of making any profit, he further said.
Nazrul Mia, a potato cultivator of Char Nazirdaho area of Kaunia upazila in Rangpur, told The FE, he as well as many peasants of his area cultivated potato on their land taking loan from local moneylenders and NGOs.
But owing to falling price of the crop they have become doubtful about repaying the loan, he added.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) office, Rangpur, in five districts under Rangpur agriculture region, peasants cultivated potato exceeding the target this season as they had gotten satisfactory price of the popular crop in the past several years.
This season potato was cultivated on a total of 1, 19, 839 hectares of land going beyond the target of 1,00, 602 hectares set by the DAE.
The districts belonging to the agriculture region are Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha and Nilphamari. Per hectare production target in the region is around 20 tonnes of potato.
Obaidur Rahman Mandal, additional director of the DAE, Rangpur region, however, said this year more land has been brought under potato cultivation compared to the preceding year.
Owing to abundant production of potato in the region this season its price has fallen, he added.
He expressed the hope that price of potato would satisfactorily increase soon.
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