Potato Farmers in Bangladesh pleased with price increases

A surge in potato prices has come as a sigh of relief to many farmers who incurred losses as massive production in the past two years has driven down prices.

Prices of potato climbed 41 percent to Tk 18-Tk 20 a kilogram in the city yesterday from Tk 12-Tk 15 a month ago.

The current retail price of the vegetable is 90 percent higher than in the same period a year ago, according to data from Trading Corporation of Bangladesh.

Wholesale prices at grower-end also increased in recent weeks, farmers said.

Shrinking acreage for potato farming that cut production and exports spiked the prices, said Mosharaf Hossain, vice chairman of Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA), the key player in potato market.

Potato is also being smuggled into India as prices are higher there, he said, adding that production in the neighbouring country has slumped.

Production fell 11 percent to 90 lakh tonnes in the immediate past season from 1 crore tonnes a year ago, mainly because of shrinking acreage for potato farming, said Hossain.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), however, said potato output did not fall.