Bangladesh on Thursday held its first-ever Potato Festival, where Agriculture and Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury urged cold storage operators to keep old potatoes in storage until December to help farmers recover from losses.

Speaking as the chief guest at the event organised by the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association at the Bashundhara International Convention Centre in Dhaka, the adviser said potato production hit a record high this year, around 11.2 million metric tonnes, which is about 2.2 million tonnes more than national demand.

A record 11.2 million metric tonnes of potatoes have been produced this year, which is about 2.2 million tonnes more than the country’s total demand.

In 2025, the production cost per kilogram varied by region, ranging from Tk 14 to Tk 17.

After adding cold storage fees, transport, sacks, labour and other expenses, the cost at the cold storage gate stands at Tk 20 to Tk 25 per kg.

In contrast, farmers are being forced to sell potatoes at Tk 8 to Tk 16 per kg at the cold storage gate, which is far below their production cost, leaving them with significant losses.

He said the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association has been requested to keep old potatoes in storage until December to help offset farmers’ losses.

He added that new potatoes will reach the market about 15 days later than usual this year, which is why the decision was made in the greater interest of farmers.

Cold storage owners may face minor losses and higher electricity bills, he said, but the farmers, who are the backbone of food production, will benefit.

He also urged the authorities concerned to take necessary steps to bring down the per-kilogram production cost of potatoes.

Lt Gen (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that although Bangladesh produces a large volume of potatoes, the country still lags behind in potato processing.

Only 2 percent of potatoes are processed in Bangladesh, while the rate is 7 percent in many other countries.

He said greater emphasis must be placed on developing the potato processing industry.

This will require selecting high-quality potato varieties suitable for processing and promoting their cultivation.

The adviser also said the price must be clearly printed on the packets of imported potato seeds, which will help ensure fair treatment for farmers.

The agriculture adviser again noted that although onion production was sufficient this year, prices jumped by Tk 35 per kilogram in a single day due to manipulation by a few traders.

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To protect consumers, the government was therefore compelled to allow onion imports.

He said imports will continue until the market price comes down to Tk 70 to Tk 80 per kilogram.

Special addresses at the event were delivered by Agriculture Ministry Secretary Dr Md Emdad Ullah Mian, Bangladesh Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr A. K. Fazlul Hoque, Netherlands Ambassador to Bangladesh Joris Van Bommel, and Tony Lv, General Manager of Hangzhou Fima Expo Co. Ltd. of China.

Senior officials from various government and private agencies, associations and chambers, leaders of the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association, cold storage owners, potato farmers, business leaders and entrepreneurs from different districts also attended the event.

Later, the adviser visited various stalls set up at the event.