A sharp fall in potato prices has left growers frustrated, as they are incurring huge losses despite a good harvest this season.
A visit to the potato-growing area of Ilisha, in Bhola, revealed the growers were busy harvesting the crop with the help of labourers and the members of their
families. The yield this year has been 9 to 10 metric tonnes per acre.
Sources in the Bhola district office of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said potatoes had been cultivated on 8,500 hectares this season, some 500 hectares more when compared to last year.
Fazil Ahmed, 50, a potato farmer of Char Annanda, told this correspondent he had spent about Tk. 1,00,000 to grow potatoes on an acre of land. But his returns have been just Tk. 80,000.
Grower Abul Kalam, 35, Yousuf Ali, 40, and Abdul Mannan, 40, said that production costs had shot up due to the high prices of seeds, pesticides, and labour.
But potato prices have fallen abnormally in local markets to Tk. 7 to 8 per kg, which is about 25 per cent less than the production cost.
Abdul Mannan of Char Annanda village and Abdul Baraqur, 50, of Bager Howla village said they had spent about Tk. 1,00,000 each to cultivate potato on one acre of land but could recover only Tk. 75,000 to Tk. 80,000, thereby losing Tk. 15,000 to Tk. 20,000.
Potato farmer Faroque Dalal, 45, said he had sown potato on two acres this year but a part of the land had come under fungal attack, resulting in loss of yield.
Riazuddin, the upazila krishi officer of Bhola Sadar, said overuse of fertilisers in potato cultivation had resulted in an alarming loss of soil fertility.
Proshanto Kumar Shaha, the deputy director of agriculture extension, Bhola, said the soil of Bhola was not suitable for potatoes.
But farmers were keen to cultivate it because of the crop’s profitability.