In Bangladesh, potato cultivation has risen by 12% over the last year, yet growers face price challenges. Farmers are selling potatoes at nearly half the production cost, compounded by higher cold storage fees. The Department of Agricultural Marketing reports the production cost per kilogram is Tk17.26 (approximately $0.16), including land preparation, fertilizers, seeds, labor, irrigation, pesticides, and land rent.
Farmers in various regions are selling potatoes at Tk7-9 ($0.07-$0.08) per kg, while wholesale prices in Dhaka range from Tk15-Tk17 ($0.14-$0.16) per kg. Retail prices are between Tk20-25 ($0.19-$0.24) per kg. In Bogura, potatoes are sold at Tk320-Tk380 ($3.00-$3.60) per maund (42 kg), translating to Tk7.5-9 per kg, with Shibganj upazila leading in cultivation.
Nafisul Islam, a farmer from Shibganj's Aligram, stated, "It costs me Tk40,000-Tk45,000 ($375-$420) per bigha to cultivate potatoes, expecting a yield of around 90 maunds. My production cost per maund is nearly Tk450-Tk500 ($4.20-$4.70), but market prices are half of that. That's why I haven't harvested yet. I plan to store them in cold storage after a few days." He noted the increased cold storage fees add pressure, with storage costs rising to Tk8 ($0.075) per kg.
Abdul Hamid from Fenigram shared, "I've cultivated both Pakri and Stick potatoes. On each bigha, I expect a yield of 65-70 maunds of Pakri and about 90 maunds of Stick potatoes. I've spent around Tk30,000-Tk35,000 ($280-$330) per bigha, but seed buyers face higher expenses." He added that last year's high prices led him to cultivate more, but current prices threaten profitability.
The Ministry of Agriculture aimed to cultivate potatoes on 4.67 lakh hectares, yet the actual area reached 5.24 lakh hectares, surpassing the target by 47,000 hectares. Last year's cultivation was 4.57 lakh hectares, showing an increase of 67,000 hectares.
Dr. Jahangir Alam from Bangladesh Agricultural University highlighted, "When prices are high in one year, farmers tend to increase production the following year. Conversely, when prices are low, farmers reduce production. This is a common issue." He suggested focusing on value addition and group marketing to connect farmers directly with markets.
Source: The Business Standard