Potato farmers are poised to incur losses again in the harvesting season as prices of the commodity began to decline in the growing hubs, farmers and experts fear.
Early harvested granola variety of potato is now being sold at Tk7-9 per kg at the farm level in the potato growing hubs, which was Tk 15-16 per kg 10 days back and Tk 20-22 per kg a month ago, according to the Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM).
The same produce was sold at Tk20-22 per kg in different kitchen markets in Dhaka on Monday, which was TK24-25 a week back.
Districts in Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions, Bogra, Munshiganj, Manikgnaj, Narshingdi and Kushtia known as the country's biggest potato producers.
The seasonal harvest will begin from the middle of the next month, deputy director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Md Rafiqul Islam said.
He said the country produced a record 8.95 million tonnes of potato in the last financial year (FY'14) and the output target has been set at 8.9 million tonnes from 0.46 million hectares this financial year.
He said 80 per cent of the targeted land has been come under plantation and the rest 20 per cent will be completed by January.
He said many of the farmers planted potato much earlier to get better price in November-December period.
Ratan Mallik, a farmer at Botlagari union under Saidpur upazila in Nilphamari, said last year he incurred Tk 30,000 losses in potato as price declined to Tk0.5-1.0 per kg.
"The same thing is going to be happened this year, I think," he said.
He said he cultivated granola variety on one bigha of land (33 decimal) much earlier this year to get better price whose harvest is over.
"I got 30 maunds (40 kg =1maund) of granola potato from one bigha and sold at Tk320 per maund against production cost of Tk 300," he said.
"I also planted cardinal variety of potato on three bighas of land, which could be harvested in the last week of January," he said.
"Allah knows, what will happen in the harvesting season"
A DAM official said potato price in Bangladesh hit its lowest level in a decade last season from January to February this year.
Many potato farmers failed to get back even 30 per cent of their investment during the last season.
Robust production and lack of storage capacity were key reasons behind the price debacle, he said.
However, cold storage charge for storing potato is now Tk 4.2-4.5 per kg across the country, according to the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA).
Farm economist Md Golam Hafiz Kennedy said the government has to adopt a check and balance policy, considering potato production and its actual demand.
"Many of the northern districts are appropriate for onion farming. The DAE should encourage the farmers there for cultivating onion instead of potato," he said.
According to the Directorate General of Food (DGoF), annual demand for potato in the country is 6.5-7.0 million tones against its production of 8.95 million tonnes.
Bangladesh is the seventh highest potato growing nations in the world.
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Potato farmers feared to sustain loss as prices fall in harvest season
FE Report | Published: December 30, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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