A steep fall in potato prices at the very start of the current harvesting season has left farmers struggling to recover their production costs. As a result, growers fear that they may suffer heavy losses this year.
Farmers say that the price slump is driven by carryover stocks from last year that remain unsold, weak market management, and limited storage facilities. So, wholesale prices of newly harvested potatoes have dropped sharply, they added.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Bangladesh produced 1.15 crore tonnes of potatoes in the 2024–25 fiscal year, with 87 lakh tonnes coming from Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions. For the 2025–26 fiscal year, the government has set a production target of nearly 84 lakh tonnes from 343,000 hectares of land in the two divisions alone.
Farmers in key producing districts—Rajshahi, Bogra, Rangpur and Pabna—said that rising costs of seeds, fertilizers, irrigation, labour and transport have pushed production costs to Tk 18–22 per kilogram this season. However, newly harvested potatoes are selling in wholesale markets at just Tk 15–17 per kilogram.
Lutfar Rahman, a farmer in Tanore upazila of Rajshahi, said that he suffered heavy losses last year and planted potatoes again this season hoping to recover losses. “But prices are once again below production costs. I’m on the verge of ruin,” he said.
Mizanur Rahman of Bagmara upazila said that the peak harvest is still about a month away. Farmers usually cultivate early varieties to secure better prices, but with last year’s stock still in the market, demand for new potatoes has waned. He fears prices could fall further once full-scale harvesting begins.
In Joypurhat’s Kalai upazila, farmer Dulal Mia said that he cultivated Cardinal potatoes on 18 bighas of land at a cost of Tk 22 per kilogram. Current market prices range between Tk 15 and 18 per kilogram.
However, early-season onion growers are also facing a similar predicament. Farmers are selling early (murikata) onions at Tk 30–35 per kilogram, despite production costs of Tk 40–45 per kilogram.
Rabiul Islam, an onion farmer from Sathia upazila in Pabna, said storing onions at home risks spoilage. “We have no choice but to sell at lower prices,” he said.
Market observers cite limited export opportunities, high storage costs and the dominance of trading syndicates as key factors behind the drop in prices. Seasonal oversupply has further reduced demand, placing the burden squarely on farmers. They argue that effective market planning and farmer-centric policies could have reduced the losses.
Shahana Akhtar Jahan, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Marketing Department in Rajshahi Division, said the full peak season has not yet begun, which may explain the gap between wholesale and retail prices. She added that potato cultivation has declined slightly compared to last year, which could influence supply and prices later in the season.
