Agriculture Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury today said a record 1.12 crore metric tons of potatoes have been produced this year, around 22 lakh metric tons more than the national demand.
"In 2025, the production cost of potatoes varies between Taka 14 and Taka 17 per kilogram (Kg) depending on the region. Including storage, transportation, sacks, labour and other expenses, the cost at the cold storage gate stands at Taka 20-25 per kg. In contrast, farmers are being forced to sell potatoes at Taka 8-16 per kg at the cold storage gate-far below their production cost-leading to financial losses," he said.
In view of this situation, the adviser requested the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association to preserve old potatoes for some more time to help farmers recover their losses, an official release said.
He made the request while speaking as the chief guest at the first-ever Potato Festival organised by the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association this morning at the Bashundhara International Convention Centre in the capital.
Lt Gen Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (Retd) said the Cold Storage Association has been urged to continue preserving old potatoes to offset the losses faced by growers, adding that new potatoes will take an additional 15 days to arrive on the market this year. "Therefore, the decision has been taken in the greater interest of farmers," he said.
"Although storage owners may incur some losses due to increased electricity bills, the farmers-who are the backbone of food production-will benefit," he added.
The adviser also called upon the concerned authorities to take necessary measures to reduce production costs per kilogram of potatoes.
He further said that although Bangladesh produces potatoes in large quantities, the country lags behind in the processing industry. Only two percent of potatoes are processed in Bangladesh, compared with seven percent in many other countries. Therefore, he stressed the need to prioritise potato processing and select varieties suitable for processing.
The adviser added that imported potato seed packets must have clearly marked prices, which will benefit farmers.
On onion prices, he said that although sufficient onions were produced this year, manipulation by certain individuals caused the price to rise by Taka 35 per kg in a single day. For the sake of consumers, the government was compelled to allow onion imports. Imports will continue until the market price drops to Taka 70-80 per kg.
Special guests at the event included Agriculture Secretary Dr Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian and Bangladesh Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor (VC) Professor Dr AK Fazlul Haque.
Government and private sector officials, leaders of the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association, cold storage owners from various districts, potato farmers, business leaders and entrepreneurs attended the programme.
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