Zakir Azad, Cumilla

Cumilla farmers worried about falling potato prices Farmers in agriculture-dependent Cumilla are seeing the possibility of a bumper potato harvest this time. However, they are worried about the fall in potato prices at the beginning of the season. Farmers in this district have drawn the attention of the administration to stand by the farmers by increasing the scope of potato export abroad and reducing the rent of cold storage.
Farmers in Cumilla district have turned away from potatoes after counting losses in potato cultivation year after year. Buyers have seen the arrogance of potatoes in the market in the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24. Potatoes priced at 15-20 taka per kg had to be bought at 70-80 taka per kg. Potato traders were shocked along with potato farmers. Traders have been able to make more profit by covering the losses of the last few years. In order to make a continuous profit for the last two years, farmers have cultivated potatoes on 9,061 hectares of land in the district this time. In addition to adequate winter, due to favorable weather conditions, there were fewer diseases and pests in the potato fields. Due to this, farmers and the Department of Agriculture are seeing the possibility of a bumper potato harvest this year.
According to relevant sources, potatoes have been cultivated on 9,061 hectares of land in 17 upazilas of Cumilla this year. Out of this, the highest cultivation has been in Daudkandi upazila of the district. Potato cultivation has been done on 3,497 hectares in that upazila, 2,067 hectares in Debidwar upazila, 890 hectares in Burichang upazila, 504 hectares in Chandina upazila, 235 hectares in Muradnagar upazila, 452 hectares in Homna upazila, 150 hectares in Adarsh Sadar upazila, 133 hectares in Brahmanpara upazila, 131 hectares in Chauddagram upazila, 8 hectares in Laksam upazila, 55 hectares in Nangalkot upazila, 267 hectares in Barura upazila, 372 hectares in Meghna upazila, 145 hectares in Titas upazila, 110 hectares in Lalmai upazila, 40 hectares in Sadar Dakshin upazila and the lowest 5 hectares in Manoharganj upazila.
Meanwhile, the pressure of potatoes in North Bengal has already hit the Cumilla market like the rest of the country. The price of potatoes, which was at a record high, has plummeted to the ground. There is a possibility that the cold storages of North Bengal potatoes will be filled before the local farmers can harvest them. In this situation, the farmers of this district are worried about a further fall in the price of potatoes. Potatoes that cost 70-80 taka per kg are now being sold for 12-15 taka in the retail market. If this situation continues, the price of potatoes is likely to drop to 5-7 taka per kg within the next month. The farmer believes that it will not be possible to raise the cost of cultivation, let alone make a profit in potato cultivation. Akhtar Hossain, a potato farmer from Rarirchar village in Chandina upazila of Cumilla , said - This year I cultivated potatoes on 5 acres of land. At the beginning of the season, the price of seeds was double. Besides, the labor cost is also higher than any other year. Hopefully, the potato yield will also be good. However, if the price of potatoes continues to fall in the market like this, there will be no profit, let alone raise the cost.
Noor Alam, a farmer from Chhotana village in Debidwar upazila, said, I cultivated potatoes on 27 percent of the land. The cost per percent is over 1,000 taka. If the current market situation is like this, there will be some profit due to the cost. If it goes below this, there will be a loss.
However, if the amount of potatoes coming to the market from North Bengal continues like this, we will not be able to keep the potatoes in our region in cold stores. Then the price will decrease further. Chandina Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer Sarwar Hossain said that due to the lack of rain and extreme cold this year, there were fewer diseases and pests in the potato fields. Due to this, the potato yield will increase a lot compared to any other year. Basically, potato seeds have to be harvested within 80-90 days of planting. Those who are harvesting potatoes recently are getting 3 to 3.5 maunds of potatoes per hundred. In a few more days, the size of the potatoes will increase and the yield will also increase. If the farmers of this region can store potatoes in their respective cold storages, there will be no possibility of loss. Bangladesh Cold Storage Association Director Chandan Saha said that even though potatoes from North Bengal have come to the market now, they have not come to any cold storage. Because the cold stores in Cumilla will be opened from March 1. And after March, potatoes from the Cumilla region will also be high. In that case, cold storage owners will not be dependent only on potatoes from North Bengal. Farmers in the Comilla region believe that it is important for the government to ensure potato exports and to reduce the rent of local cold storages and store potatoes of farmers in the area on a priority basis to save farmers. Ayub Mahmud, Deputy Director of the Cumilla District Agricultural Extension Department, agreed with the farmers' concerns and said that if it does not rain in the next 15 days, farmers will be able to store the potatoes harvested from the field at their homes and sell them at a leisurely pace. If they cannot store them in cold storage or if it rains within 15 days, farmers in this district may face problems.