Potato growers in Bangladesh worried for lack of storage facility

A large number of small and marginal potato growers in Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts are worried before harvesting the produce as they failed to book space for potato preservation in the local cold storages.

Farmers have blamed 'nexus' [a link] between cold storage authorities and a section of middlemen and hoarders for the situation while storage owners claimed that small and marginal farmers were given priority regarding distribution of advance slips for potato preservation.

Storage owners said the space crisis has appeared due to potato cultivation on larger areas of land.

When harvest of potato will start in full swing in the first week of March, growers may have to sell the crop to hoarders at a nominal price due to unavailability of preservation facilities, they said, adding that production will be hampered in the next season if they fail to preserve a portion of their produce.

Seven cold storages in Thakurgaon have capacity to preserve 39,784 tonnes of potato only while two more cold storages with about 7,000 tonne capacity will be set up soon in the district. However, there is no cold storage in Panchagarh.

The potato season begins in November and ends between April and May. The item needs to be stored between April-May and November.