News on Potato Stats, Trade, Prices from Bangladesh

Over the last month, potato prices in Dhaka, Bangladesh have seen large increases, as supplies are tight.

Potato growers of the Thakurgaon district, Bangladesh are worried that they might not be able to recover the production cost due to sudden drop in the prices of the vegetable in the ongoing harvesting season.

Cold storage operators in Bangladesh said between 15 and 20 lakh (2 million) tonnes of potato will remain unsold by the end of the year because of sluggish demand.

In the last fiscal year (FY'16), Bangladesh's potato production hit an all-time-high of 9.47 million tonnes, the latest data showed. However cold storage facilities showed little progress compared to the higher output.

Ahiyan Impex Ltd. is a Bangladeshi exporter and importer of agricultural products which ships potatoes to various international destinations, including Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Dubai or Bahrain, and with interest to expand in Russia, despite some initial phytosanitary issues.

Potato Farmers in Rangpur, Bangladesh are happy after harvesting an all-time record amount of potatoes while getting a lucrative market price in the Rangpur agriculture zone.

Bangladesh potato export in the first two quarters until June 2013 fell by 33 per cent compared to the same period of the previous year.

Potato production in Bangladesh in fiscal year (FY) 2012-13 hit a new record of 8.603 million tonnes surpassing the past record of 8.38 million tonnes in FY'11.

In Bangladesh, favourable weather conditions and higher acreage are likely to boost potato yield in the ongoing harvesting season and have already pulled down the tuber's prices, agriculture officials and cold storage operators said yesterday.

Cheaper supplies from China have made Bangladesh's potato less attractive to international buyers, exporters said.

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 1...