Potato production has hit a record 11.5 million tonnes in the 2024–25 season, but farmers are bracing for losses as demand lags far behind supply, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
The agency said output rose by nearly nine percent from last year’s 10.6 million tonnes, driven by favourable weather and expanded cultivation. Potatoes were planted on 492,000 hectares of land, up eight percent from the previous season.
The Tuber Research Centre and Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA) estimate that about 1 million tonnes will be used as seed and 8 million tonnes will go for consumption. Only 62,000 tonnes were exported during the fiscal year, leaving a huge stock unsold.
BCSA President Mostafa Azad Chowdhury Babu said cold storage facilities still hold 2.9 million tonnes of potatoes. “New potatoes will arrive within three and a half months, and a large portion of old stock will remain unused,” he said.
Tuber Research Centre Director Md Matiar Rahman warned that the surplus will hit farmers hard, as consumers switch to fresh harvests from December.
Potato planting usually runs from mid-September to November, with the main harvest between mid-January and March. Early winter vegetables bring new potatoes to the market from December, undercutting demand for older stock.