Potato Farmers and Traders Protest Cold Storage Rents in Rangpur and Rajshahi
Demonstrators blocked a major highway in Rangpur and formed a human chain in Rajshahi on 27 August. They are demanding a reduction in cold storage rental fees to ease financial burdens.
Potato farmers and traders staged demonstrations and blockades on Thursday, 27 August, across the regions of Rangpur and Rajshahi to demand an urgent reduction in cold storage rental fees. The coordinated protests highlight growing dissatisfaction among agricultural producers and local traders regarding steep storage costs imposed by facility operators in northern Bangladesh.
In Rangpur, angry protesters blocked the busy Rangpur-Kurigram highway directly in front of the Apur Munshi Cold Storage facility located in the Nabbiganj area. Demonstrators used the blockade to voice their strong opposition to the current pricing structure and to draw immediate public and administrative attention to their financial struggles.
According to the protesting groups, cold storage owners in Rangpur have syndicatally set the rental fee at 7.5 taka per kilogram. The protesters pointed out a stark regional disparity, noting that cold storage rent in other parts of the country is kept within 5 taka per kilogram under the coordination of the Department of Agricultural Marketing.
Parallel to the highway blockade in Rangpur, farmers and traders in Rajshahi organized a human chain protest. During this demonstration, participants demanded the immediate implementation of recommendations put forward by the district recommendation committee.
The Rajshahi committee has specifically suggested setting the maximum cold storage rental fee at 5 to 5.5 taka per kilogram, alongside a crucial provision to deduct 5 kilograms from the total weight of each sack. Protesters at both locations insist that these fair pricing measures are vital for the survival of local potato farming and trade.
