Govt okays import of 19,400-tonne potatoes

The agriculture ministry has started issuing permits to importers to bring potatoes to control prices.

Until now, the Department of Agricultural Extension gave clearance to import 19,400 tonnes of potatoes against 28 applications, said Md Kamrul Islam Buyan, senior information officer of the agriculture ministry.

The DAE began to issue permits for the import of the root vegetable a day after the commerce ministry decided to allow imports in an effort to contain prices that went up to Tk 65 per kg at retail, the highest on record, in Dhaka.

Government agencies estimated the production of potatoes at 1.04 crore tonnes in the last harvesting season, higher than the previous one.

The estimated annual consumption requirement is around 80 lakh tonnes.

Traders, however, do not agree with the production estimate.