Gaibandha's potato farmers are facing significant losses due to a severe shortage of space in cold storage facilities, despite a bumper harvest this season.
Even after storing a large quantity of potatoes in local markets and at home, farmers are struggling to find space for their remaining produce. Many are waiting day and night on the roads in the hopes of securing storage slips. As a result of this crisis, those unable to store their potatoes are being forced to sell them at low prices, incurring heavy losses.
According to the Gaibandha Agricultural Extension Department, potato cultivation this season has covered 14,497 hectares of land across the district. The breakdown of cultivation by upazila is as follows: 48 hectares in Fulchhari, 327 hectares in Saghata, 1,079 hectares in Sundarganj, 9,318 hectares in Gobindaganj, 1,220 hectares in Palashbari, 2,250 hectares in Sadullapur, and 255 hectares in Gaibandha Sadar. The total production target has been set at over 200,000 metric tonnes. Even after meeting local demand, farmers are left with a massive surplus of potatoes, which they are unable to store.
In an effort to secure better prices, many farmers are attempting to store their produce in the five cold storage facilities in the district: RV Cold Storage in Sadullapur, Himadri Cold Storage in Gobindaganj, Gobindaganj Cold Storage-1, Gobindaganj Cold Storage-2, and Ashraf Ali Cold Storage in Sundarganj. However, only a fortunate few have managed to obtain space. Despite high rates, most farmers are unable to secure slots for their potatoes.
Potato farmers in Thakurgaon protest against increased rent for cold storage
The five cold storage facilities in Gaibandha have a combined storage capacity of 46,760 metric tonnes—divided as 7,000, 8,000, 10,000, 10,000, and 11,760 metric tonnes, respectively. This means only about a quarter of the total potato production can be stored, leaving approximately 150,000 metric tonnes without storage. Taking advantage of the situation, cold storage owners have reportedly increased the price of storage slips, yet farmers are still struggling to obtain them.
The crisis has led to chaotic scenes on the Dhaka-Rangpur highway, where hundreds of trucks, vans, and tractors loaded with potato sacks are waiting in front of cold storage facilities.
Farmer Hamidul Rahman expressed his frustration, saying, "We are in trouble after harvesting potatoes. Market prices are low. If we sell in the market now, we will lose our capital and suffer huge losses. That’s why we are waiting day and night in front of cold storages for slips."
Cold storage owners urge govt support to keep potato prices affordable
Due to the bumper potato harvest in Gobindaganj, farmers are particularly anxious about the storage crisis. Many had planted potatoes on record amounts of land, expecting high prices. However, they are now struggling as they fail to obtain storage cards from the four available storages in the upazila.
Farmers have alleged that storage space is only granted to those with the right connections or to those willing to bribe managers and staff. They claim that due to a lack of proper supervision, such unfair practices are taking place.
Denying these allegations, Himadri Limited’s manager Mozammel Haque said, "Booking slips have run out. Like previous years, we have provided slips to traders, but in much lower numbers this year. There has been no black market sale of booking slips."
Meanwhile, Gobindaganj Cold Storage manager Sajib said, "This year, we are prioritising local farmers. We have not given any cards to hoarders. If farmers bring 5 to 10 sacks of potatoes, they will face no issues storing them. Our two storages have a total capacity of about 350,000 sacks. So far, 120,000 sacks have been booked."
Addressing the issue, Khorshed Alam, deputy director of the Agricultural Extension Department, acknowledged that some potatoes may have to remain outside storage due to bumper production. However, he assured that authorities would assist farmers in storing seed potatoes if necessary. "Additionally, we are advising farmers on natural preservation methods, which can allow them to store potatoes for up to three months," he added.
As the crisis persists, farmers continue to suffer losses, desperately seeking storage solutions while waiting on the roads in front of cold storage facilities. Without immediate intervention, the situation may further worsen, affecting both farmers and the potato supply chain in the region.