RAJSHAHI, Oct 4: Due to fall of price in potatoes kept at local cold stores, farmers are incurring loss worth about Tk 1,000 crore.
Many farmers have fled away for being unable to repay debts, according to field sources.
Concerned sources said if such situation continues, local farmers and traders will lose interest in potato cultivation and business.
Potato is a cash crop of the district. After paddy, it is widely cultivated here. If one year the farmers get profit, they suffer loss in the next year. For the last few years, the local farmers have been counting losses in potato cultivation. But still, the volume of potato cultivation and production in the Barind area has increased.
Farmers and traders have been counting losses in potato for the last three consecutive years. Their burden of debt with different cold stores is increasing day by day.
This time farmers and traders have stored about 62 lakh bags of potato in 32 local cold stores. Out of these, they sold about 31 lakh bags facing loss.
The production cost of per kg stored potato is Tk 13. Currently, per kg raw potato is selling at Tk 10.5. So, the loss in per kg is Tk 2.5 and in per bag about Tk 250 to 300.
Sources at Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in the district said potato was cultivated in 38,971 hectares of land in 2018-2019 agricultural years. Out of those, about half of the potatoes were stored for use as seed and as food after the end of the season.
Fazlur Rahman, a teacher of Mougachhi High School, said many people have become millionaire and many have lost everything by potato farming and trade. The profit and the loss on potatoes depend on nature and destiny. It is time now for the government to fix the potato prices.
Sources said marginal farmers do not cultivate potato now, but the farmers-cum-traders do it.
Seeking anonymity, a farmer said one Joynal Abedin of Dhuroil Village in Mohanpur Upazila died recently as he could not bear the burden of loss from his stored potatoes.
Mobarak Hossen, a commercial potato farmer of Nuriakhetra area in Mougachhi Union of Mohanpur Upazila has been cultivating potato for the last 15 years. He cultivated potato in 50 bighas of land this year, and kept the produced potatoes in cold store, but had to sell those during the beginning of the season, suffering loss worth about Tk 50,000.
Another farmer-cum-trader Nurul Islam still has about 11,000 bags of potatoes in cold store. If he sells the potatoes in the current market, he will suffer loss worth about Tk 20 lakh.
Nurul Islam said about 4 tonnes of potato is produced in per bigha. The total production cost is Tk 30,000 to 35,000 in per bigha. Farmers are facing losses in selling potato at the current prices.
Rahimuddin Sarker, a potato grower of Borogachhi area in Paba Upazila of the district, who got Presidential Award, said favourable weather has been prevailing for potato cultivation in the district for the last few years. Besides, the farmers are using advanced quality potato seeds. So, they got bumper yield of potato. But, due to lack of processing and preservation, the farmers are not getting fair price of potatoes. However, the losses would reduce if initiatives were taken to export potatoes.
Fazlur Rahman, general secretary of District Cold Store Owners Association, admitted the loss and said, "This time potatoes have been cultivated in more lands and the yield was also good. Due to the cultivation of potato in many districts of the country, the farmers of Rajshahi are facing losses. If the farmers do not get fair price, our worries also increase."
President of the Association Abu Bakkar Ali said about 30 per cent of the total produced potato are kept in cold stores.
Admitting the loss, Deputy Director of Rajshahi DAE Shamsul Haque said, "The soil of the region is suitable for potato farming. The DAE officials have always been beside the farmers. But, it is not our duty to monitor market. When the farmers face loss, they lose interest in the cultivation."
