Potato farmers struggling for cold storage space

Potato farmers in the country's northern districts are struggling to manage space in cold storages for storing their produce.

The sluggish operations of the cold storages due to manpower shortage, and escalating transport costs further exacerbated the situation, leading to frustrations among farmers and traders.

Transport costs have allegedly been hiked by double the usual rate.

"Due to the unusual delay in cold storage operations, transporters have hiked the cost from Tk 35 to Tk 65 per sack of potatoes," said Abdur Razzak, a farmer of Chirirbandar upazila.

As both farmers and traders flock to cold storage facilities following a government-imposed fee cap of Tk 6.75 per kilogramme, many farmers alleged that cold storage operators are prioritising traders over them, despite government regulations intended to ensure fair access.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension in Rangpur, there are 101 cold storage facilities in the division, with a total storage capacity of 1.1 million tonnes, which is insufficient against the high demand.

Farmers reported waiting for days outside storage facilities, only to witness traders' trucks being granted entry at night.

"I have been trying to get a storage permit for two days, but I am still waiting. Meanwhile, traders are storing thousands of sacks of potatoes every night," said Jahangir Hossain, a farmer from Kalai upazila of Joypurhat.

Anwar Hossain, a farmer from Khetlal upazila, echoed similar frustration.

Storage facility operators attributed the delay to overwhelming demand for storage space.

Abdul Quddus, manager of Botalti Himadri Limited in Joypurhat, denied allegations of favoritism towards traders.

"Both farmers and traders use our facilities. Due to higher profits from stored potatoes in recent years, farmers are now storing both seed and consumable potatoes, increasing pressure on storage units. Despite the government's 60:40 ratio favouring farmers, nearly 80 percent of our storage capacity is currently allocated to them," he claimed.

The storage crisis has led to massive congestion outside the facilities, most located on Dinajpur-Rangpur, Panchagarh-Rangpur and Dinajpur-Gobindaganj highways, particularly in Dinajpur and Syedpur. Hundreds of potato-laden trucks remain stuck for days, causing traffic disruptions and driving up transportation costs.

In Dinajpur, over 700 vehicles have been seen queued outside cold storage facilities recently, struggling to secure storage slots.

The situation at three major cold storages in Saidpur is even more dire. All the facilities are struggling to store potatoes brought by farmers from neighboring Taraganj, Badarganj, Khansama, and Chirirbandar areas.

Abdul Mannan, a resident near Ismail Seed Cold Storage, said a three-kilometre stretch from Kamarpukur Bazar to Chikli Bazar has been blocked because of the tailback of potato-laden trucks.

Local authorities have deployed police and Ansar-VDP personnel to manage the situation.

"Encouraged by high prices last year, many farmers cultivated potatoes this year. However, the storage shortage has led to massive congestion, alongside a hike in transportation costs, while the market price of potatoes has fallen below Tk 20 per kg," said Dhiman Bhushan, upazila agriculture officer in Saidpur.

"Farmers are facing significant financial losses for such a volatile market condition," he added.

Meanwhile, potato growers in Kurigram yesterday brought out a rally protesting a hike in the rent of cold storages in the district, our correspondent from Lalmonirhat reports. The rally was held in front of the Kurigram Deputy Commissioner's Office at noon, and later submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Commerce and the Department of Agricultural Marketing through the DC.

The farmers demanded the Department of Agricultural Marketing to reduce cold storage rent from Tk 6.75 per kg and fixing it at Tk 5 per kg.