6.04 lakh sacks of potatoes remain unsold in Joypurhat cold storage facilities

Around 6.04 lakh sacks of potatoes stored in cold storage facilities in Kalai upazila of Joypurhat are at risk of remaining unsold as farmers and traders are reluctant to release their stocks due to a sharp fall in prices.
The traders are currently selling potatoes at Tk7-8 per kg at cold-storage gates, far below the estimated total cost of around Tk28 per kg, including production, transportation, storage, labour and loading-unloading expenses.
Cold-storage owners have been urging farmers and traders to withdraw their stocks as the new potato season approaches. They fear that a large quantity of the stored potatoes may eventually have to be sold as livestock feed or even buried if they are not sold in time.
According to the Kalai Upazila Agriculture Office, potatoes have been cultivated on around 12,055 hectares of land out of 12,374 hectares of cropland in the upazila this year. There are 13 cold storage facilities in Kalai with a combined capacity of around 22.59 lakh sacks. Currently, around 7.29 lakh sacks of potatoes remain in storage, including 1.25 lakh bags of seed potatoes kept in seven cold storages.
Kalai Upazila Agriculture Officer Harunur Rashid said around 40-45% of the potatoes had so far been withdrawn from cold storages, which was lower than during the same period last year.
“Farmers and traders are reluctant to withdraw their potatoes as the market price is below expectations. As a result, the potatoes are remaining in storage for longer, increasing their storage costs and adding to their financial burden,” he said.
Farmers and traders said the production cost of potatoes this season was around Tk19-20 per kg. After adding storage rent, transportation, labour, packaging and loading-unloading costs, the total cost rises to around Tk28 per kg. With potatoes currently fetching only Tk7-8 per kg, they are facing losses of around Tk20-21 per kg.
Abdul Mannan, a potato stockist in Nishchinta, said he had stored 24,000 sacks after taking a bank loan. He said his cost was around Tk1,410 per sack, while the current selling price is only Tk860-870.
“At this price, I will incur a loss of around Tk540-550 per sack, amounting to nearly Tk1.3 crore for 24,000 sacks. Far from repaying the loan, my debt is increasing every day. I also have to pay the cold-storage rent,” he said.
Asaduzzaman Fakir, a potato trader from Punat Bazar, said he had stored 17,000 sacks in several cold storage facilities and incurred a loss of around Tk 1crore after selling 9,000 sacks at low prices. He still has around 8,000 sacks in storage.
“After suffering losses for three consecutive years, my debt burden has increased. This year, I could not even renew my cash or CC loans, making it difficult to continue the business,” he said.
Enamul Haque, assistant manager of Punat Cold Storage, “As the time for storing new potatoes approaches, we are urging farmers and traders to withdraw their stocks as soon as possible,” he said.
Jayanta Kumar Sarkar, manager of Southpool Cold Storage, said, “If the potatoes are not sold or withdrawn within the stipulated time, they may have to be sold as cattle feed or buried. This will cause losses to both potato owners and cold-storage operators. Traders who stored potatoes with bank loans may also face difficulties in repaying instalments and interest,” he said.