Potato Prices Drop in Joypurhat and Dinajpur Causing Losses

Farmers and business owners in Joypurhat and Dinajpur have found themselves in severe financial distress due to a significant and sustained downturn in potato market prices. As the market remains depressed, individuals who stored their crops in anticipation of better rates are now confronting harsh economic realities, making it increasingly difficult to recover their initial production costs or sustain their agricultural enterprises.

The scale of the stored harvest is substantial across the region. Official figures from the Department of Agricultural Extension indicate that Joypurhat currently holds 216,000 tonnes of potatoes preserved across 22 distinct cold storage facilities. Meanwhile, in the Fulbari upazila, local farming efforts encompassed 1,480 hectares of land, yielding a total production volume of 37,500 tonnes of the staple crop.

Market conditions have turned particularly grim for those who opted to store their produce. Current trading values mean that anyone selling their potatoes straight out of cold storage is absorbing a direct loss ranging between 400 and 500 taka per bag. Farmers like Mokbul Hossain, who kept his entire harvest in storage hoping for higher market returns, noted that selling now guarantees a loss of 450 to 500 taka per bag, leaving him unable to pay off loans and sinking deeper into debt without any clear path forward.

Traders and local business operators are echoing similar concerns regarding mounting liabilities and commercial instability. Businessman Saidur Rahman explained that the prevailing market prices translate to an average loss of 400 taka per bag, severely compounding his financial obligations. He stated that he could not even renew his cash-credit loan this cycle, making business survival extremely difficult, and suggested that the government urgently initiate potato exports to help lift market rates and protect basic capital.

Other local actors share these regrets, noting that earlier sales might have spared them from crushing storage rental anxieties. Mokhlesur Rahman remarked that had he sold his harvest earlier, he would not currently be burdened by worries over cold storage rental fees. Compounding this distress, the arrival of the Aman paddy season has triggered a fresh cash crunch, leaving farmers struggling to secure the necessary funds to finance their upcoming Aman cultivation amidst ongoing losses.