To help potato growers recover from financial losses, Agriculture and Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has requested the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association to continue storing old potatoes in cold storage facilities until December.
He made the request while speaking as the chief guest at the country’s first-ever Potato Festival, organized by the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association at the Bashundhara International Convention Center in the capital this morning.
The adviser said a record 11.2 million metric tons of potatoes were produced this year—approximately 2.2 million tons more than national demand. In 2025, the cost of producing potatoes ranges between Tk 14 and Tk 17 per kilogram depending on location. Including cold storage, transport, packaging, labor, and other expenses, the cost at the cold storage gate stands at Tk 20–25 per kg. In contrast, farmers are being forced to sell potatoes at Tk 8–16 per kg—far below their production cost—resulting in significant losses.
“To offset these losses, we have requested the Cold Storage Association to preserve old potatoes until December,” he said. He added that new potatoes will arrive in the market about 15 days later than usual this year, and the decision has been made in the greater interest of farmers. “Cold storage owners may incur some additional electricity costs, but the farmers—the backbone of our food production—will benefit,” he said. He also urged stakeholders to take measures to reduce per-kilogram production costs.
Lieutenant General (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury noted that despite high potato production, Bangladesh lags in potato processing. Only 2% of potatoes are processed locally, compared to 7% in many other countries. He stressed the need to prioritize the processing sector and select suitable potato varieties for processing. He also said the price must be printed on imported potato seed packets to protect farmers.
Regarding onions, the adviser said that despite adequate domestic production, the price surged by Tk 35 per kg overnight due to market manipulation. “In the interest of consumers, we were compelled to allow onion imports. Imports will continue until market prices fall to Tk 70–80 per kg,” he added.
Special guests at the event included Agriculture Secretary Dr. Md. Emdad Ullah Mian; Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Professor Dr. A.K. Fazlul Haque; Ambassador of the Netherlands to Bangladesh Joris Van Bommel; and Tony Lv, General Manager of Hangzhou Fima Expo Co. Ltd., China. Senior officials from various government and private organizations, leaders of the Cold Storage Association, cold storage owners, potato farmers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs from across the country attended the event.
Following the inauguration, the adviser visited various stalls set up as part of the Potato Festival.