Dhaka (Oct 2) — Potato prices in Bangladesh have plunged to their lowest in years, falling below Tk 20 per kilogram at the retail level and as low as Tk 11–12 per kg in wholesale markets, leaving farmers facing heavy losses.
According to traders and data from the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), retail prices today ranged from Tk 18–25 per kg, down from Tk 25–30 a month ago. A year earlier, the staple vegetable sold at Tk 50–60 per kg — meaning prices have collapsed by nearly 61%.
In August, the government announced two measures to stabilise the market:
-
Procuring 50,000 tonnes of potatoes.
-
Fixing a minimum cold storage gate price of Tk 22 per kg.
Neither has been implemented effectively, traders say, resulting in a glut.
“Potato supply has overrun the market,” said Delwar Hossain, a wholesaler at Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar. “For instance, I need one truck of potatoes. But I already have two trucks waiting in front of my shop.” He is selling at Tk 12 per kg.
Surplus and Storage Crisis
Bangladesh produced a record 1.15 crore tonnes of potatoes in the last harvest season, far exceeding the estimated domestic demand of 90 lakh tonnes. Even after exports of 62,000 tonnes, roughly 12 lakh tonnes remain in cold storage, according to the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association.
“Farmers held back potatoes expecting government procurement. When that didn’t happen, stocks piled up. Now, with limited time left, everyone is releasing their potatoes into the market,” said association president Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu, adding that cold storage prices have dropped to Tk 10–11 per kg.
Farmers in Distress
For many growers, production costs far exceeded sale prices. Ashraf Sarker, a farmer from Munshiganj, said he spent nearly Tk 500,000 on cultivation last season but has so far recovered only Tk 80,000.
“Last month, I sold potatoes at Tk 9 per kg, even though my production cost was Tk 31 per kg. I still have 12,500 kg in storage,” he said.
Official Response
Agriculture Secretary Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian was unavailable for comment. But TCB Chairman Brig Gen Mohammad Foyshol Azad said the government would begin procurement “by the end of this month.”
With just a few months left before the stored crop expires, both farmers and traders remain sceptical that delayed action can prevent further losses.