It is concerning that potato growers in the northern districts are struggling to find space in cold storages for their produce. According to a report, there are 101 cold storage facilities in the Rangpur division with a total capacity of 1.1 million tonnes—which is insufficient given the high demand for space. This shortage has caused severe congestion outside the facilities, particularly in Dinajpur and Syedpur. Hundreds of potato-laden trucks remain stranded on highways for days, causing traffic disruptions and driving up transportation costs. Farmers in the region have also alleged that cold storage operators are favouring traders over them, which is unfortunate.

More farmers have cultivated potatoes this year, encouraged by last year's high prices. However, they now fear incurring losses instead of making profits. Sensing the crisis, transporters have also almost doubled their rates—from Tk 35 to Tk 65 per sack of potatoes—mostly because trucks carrying potatoes have to wait for a prolonged period outside storage facilities. The cold storage charge also remains high, as the government has imposed a fee cap of Tk 6.75 per kilogramme of produce. Many farmers allege that while they wait for days, traders' trucks are granted entry at night.

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Reportedly, more farmers have cultivated potatoes this year, encouraged by last year's high prices. However, they now fear incurring losses instead of making profits. Sensing the crisis, transporters have also almost doubled their rates—from Tk 35 to Tk 65 per sack of potatoes—mostly because trucks carrying potatoes have to wait for a prolonged period outside storage facilities. The cold storage charge also remains high, as the government has imposed a fee cap of Tk 6.75 per kilogramme of produce. Many farmers allege that while they wait for days, traders' trucks are granted entry at night. Storage operators, however, have attributed the delay to overwhelming demand for space. Due to this unfavourable situation, farmers are already facing financial losses. Worse still, the market price of potatoes has fallen below Tk 20 per kg.

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Cold storage with a difference

Under the circumstances, we urge the government to ensure adequate storage facilities for potato farmers. The capacity of both government and private cold storages should be increased to accommodate the high volume of produce, and storage authorities must maintain the government-mandated storage ratio of 60:40 for farmers and traders. While local authorities have deployed police and Ansar-VDP personnel to manage the chaos outside storage facilities, more government oversight is needed to ensure farmers get proper access. Additionally, the storage charge per kg should be reduced to Tk 5 from the current Tk 6.75, as farmers have demanded. Our potato farmers—already burdened by high production costs and falling incomes—should not suffer further losses due to storage shortages and mismanagement.