Potato prices have hit record lows, leaving farmers across the country counting heavy losses. Despite a bumper harvest this season, heaps of unsold potatoes are now piling up in cold storages — a visible sign of how overproduction, poor market management, and delayed government action have created one of the worst potato crises in recent years.
How did it start?
Last year’s high prices encouraged farmers to plant more potatoes, hoping for big profits this time. According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, potatoes were cultivated on 524,000 hectares of land, well above the target of 467,000 hectares.
This expanded cultivation led to a bumper yield of 13 million tonnes — around 4 million tonnes more than domestic demand. With too many potatoes and too few buyers, the market became flooded, and prices began to plummet.
How bad is the price fall?
The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) reports that potato prices have fallen by nearly 63% over the past year.
• Wholesale prices: Tk 10–12 per kg
• Retail prices: Tk 15–20 per kg (down from Tk 25 just a month ago)
• Cold storage prices: Tk 9–11 per kg
Farmers say these prices are well below production costs. Many are now struggling to recover even the cost of storage, transport, and fertiliser.
Didn’t govt promise to help?
Yes. In late August, the government announced plans to buy 50,000 tonnes of potatoes and set a minimum price of Tk 22 per kilogramme at cold storage gates. But two months on, no potatoes have been purchased, and the minimum price policy has not been enforced.
Instead of stabilising the market, the delay has deepened the crisis. Farmers say prices actually fell further after the announcement, as traders anticipated government inaction.
How much loss are farmers facing?
According to estimates from district agricultural offices, farmers and traders are losing Tk 16–18 per kilogramme of potatoes. The Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA) reports that around 2 million tonnes of potatoes remain unsold across 340 cold storages nationwide.
What are the consequences for next season?
The BCSA has warned that without immediate support, many farmers may abandon potato cultivation next year. In a letter to the Ministries of Agriculture, Food, and Commerce, the association said farmers might not be able to afford fertilisers, pesticides, or fungicides for the next crop.
To sustain national demand — about 9 million tonnes of potatoes annually — they argue that government incentives must be rolled out by October.
What do experts say should be done?
Agricultural economist Dr Jahangir Alam says the crisis reflects poor timing and weak policy implementation. “The government’s declared minimum price was not enforced, and purchasing began too late — or not at all,” he said.
He recommends three urgent steps
• Create a government buffer stock to absorb surplus potatoes
• Enforce the minimum support price to protect farmers
• Develop new export markets to reduce dependence on domestic demand
Without these measures, Dr Alam warns, the same crisis could return next year.
The bottom line
A season that began with high hopes has ended in despair. As millions of kilograms of potatoes lie unsold, farmers’ earnings — and confidence — are rotting away in cold storages. Unless the government acts quickly to stabilise prices and restore trust, Bangladesh risks not only a farming crisis today but also a food security challenge tomorrow.
