SB-Sujon, Lalmonirhat Correspondent:
Lalmonirhat, farmers have cultivated a record amount of early variety potatoes in the hope of higher profits this season. They complain that they have been deprived of the desired price of potatoes every year. The business syndicate is the beneficiary.
Last year, the potato market was quite good, potatoes priced at 15 to 20 taka per kg were sold at the market for a maximum of 120 taka per kg. Last year, farmers are more interested in cultivating potatoes this year after getting the price of potatoes.
According to the information of the Lalmonirhat Agriculture Department, potatoes have been cultivated on 6,500 hectares of land in 5 upazilas of Lalmonirhat in the current season, but it is estimated that the actual amount will be more.
Because in addition to the farmers in the village plains, potatoes have also been cultivated on a large scale in the char areas of the Teesta, Dharla, Saniajan, Ratnai, and Sati rivers. In addition, many cold store owners have leased hundreds of acres of land for a year to cultivate potatoes.
In the last week of December, early-ripening potatoes started appearing in the market. Along with this, the price of potatoes also started to fall. Till the first week of January, a kg of potatoes was sold in the market for 40 to 50 taka. Now, each kg of potatoes is being sold for 15 to 20 taka depending on the place in the market.
Due to the high price of potatoes this year, farmers have had to buy potato seeds at a higher price. In addition, the cost of fertilizer, seeds, pesticides, cultivation and maintenance has cost about 40 to 45 thousand taka to cultivate one bigha of land.
In order for farmers to cover their production costs, the price of potatoes in the market must be at least 35 taka. Moreover, the potatoes produced during this period cannot be stored in cold storage.
According to the information of the Lalmonirhat District Agriculture Department, this year many farmers are cultivating three crops in the land in a year. Before cultivating Eri-Boro paddy, they cultivate various Rabi crops including potatoes, mustard, onion and others. Potatoes are harvested and irrigated Boro rice is cultivated on the same land. Although potatoes are harvested in 90 days, they are harvested in 60 to 80 days. For the past two years, the price of potatoes has been very high in the market, so traders and farmers have resorted to potato cultivation on a large scale.
Helen Mia (48), a potato farmer from Chinipara village in Mahendranagar union of Sadar upazila, said that she has cultivated potatoes on double the land this year because the price of early potatoes was good in the market last year.
Farmer Matiar Rahman of Tuntuni Char on the Dharla River said, Cardinal potatoes have grown on my 18 bighas of land. I bought seed potatoes at a price of 120 taka per kg. Other expenses, including fertilizer, are also high. Now I have to sell potatoes at a price of 15 taka per kg. The cost per kg has fallen to 25 taka. Potato wholesaler Mahfuzar Rahman said, we are buying potatoes at a price of 15-20 taka per kg and selling them for a profit of just 1 taka. The supply of early variety potatoes is high, so the prices have fallen.
Deputy Director of the District Agricultural Extension Department, Saikhul Arifin, said, Farmers have nothing to be disappointed about. The price of potatoes will increase over time. Exports abroad have not started yet, and once exports start, the price of potatoes will increase.
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