Potatoes in the cold storage, warehouse empty
Shafiqul Islam
Published: 20:45, October 21, 2020 | Last updated: 21:29, October 21, 2020
The market has created an artificial crisis of potatoes. Potatoes are stored in the cold storage and the warehouse is kept empty. Showing that there is no normal supply of potatoes in the market. Potato prices have been increased due to crisis in supply management. Despite the government fixing the price of potatoes in two phases in the face of the demand of traders, potatoes are not being sold at the fixed price anywhere in the country. Nowhere in the country is there a supply of potatoes at Tk 28 per kg, on the pretext that they are being sold at Tk 50 to 55 per kg. This information has been known by searching in multiple markets of the capital.
Meanwhile, the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has started selling potatoes at Tk 25 per kg from Wednesday (October 21). However, it did not have any effect on the market. As a result, there was no sign of resolving the existing instability in the potato market.
According to sources, after the second round of meetings with potato warehousing and wholesalers, the government has rescheduled the price of per kg potatoes from Tk 30 to Tk 35 in the retail market. The price was set at a meeting at the Department of Agricultural Marketing at Khamarbari on Tuesday (October 20th).
Earlier on October 8, the Department of Agriculture Marketing had fixed the price of per kg potato at Tk 23 at the cold storage level, Tk 25 at the wholesale level and Tk 30 at the consumer level. Letters were also sent to the deputy commissioners to confirm this price. But traders objected to the fixed price. At one stage they stopped selling potatoes. In the meeting on Tuesday (October 20), considering the overall situation, the price of potato has been re-fixed at Tk 28 per kg at cold storage, Tk 30 at wholesale and Tk 35 at retail.
Meanwhile, it has been found that big traders have stored thousands of tons of potatoes in cold storage in the hope of making more profit. Gradually, the potato-centric crisis has intensified and these potatoes are being gradually released from the cold storage at higher prices on the pretext of mismanagement. 10 tons of potatoes are coming in the market against the demand of 100 tons. As a result, unscrupulous potato traders are trying to destabilize the market by creating a crisis of 90 tons. Potato wholesalers have complained.
The largest wholesale market for potatoes in the country is Kawranbazar in the capital. I went to the potato wholesale market for a long time and saw that there is no stock of potatoes anywhere. Empty everywhere. There is no way to understand that thousands of tons of potatoes are traded here every day. There is complete laziness.
When asked, wholesaler Abdur Rahman said, 'There is no supply of potatoes in the market. So we're sitting lazy. No trade. Potatoes are in cold storage. But the storekeepers are not releasing potatoes from cold storage. What will the market do? So I am sitting lazy. '
Meanwhile, a search in Munshiganj near the capital revealed that the cold storages there are now full of potatoes. At other times during this time of the year, potatoes are gradually released from cold storages and released into the market. However, this year's picture is different. This year, new potatoes are being stored in empty cold storages.
When asked, Sarwar Hossain, manager of Sonar Bangla Cold Storage in Mirkadim, Munshiganj, said, 'We had some space in our cold storage. Last week I left 200 maunds of potatoes and filled them. In this way, the empty space in the cold storage in this area is being filled with new potatoes.
Meanwhile, the market will be monitored to check whether the potatoes are being sold at the price set by the government at Tk 35, said the Agriculture Minister. Abdur Razzak. "Market monitoring will be intensified in a day or two," he told reporters at the agriculture ministry at the secretariat on Wednesday (October 21st). The traders have returned home happy with the price fixed by the government. They themselves have said that if this price is not implemented, they will be considered as profiteers. They will try their best to cooperate with us. And we will intensify market monitoring from Thursday or in a day or two.
The Minister of Agriculture said, 'For many years the price of potato is 30 to 35 rupees. If it is, people will not think so. But if it becomes 50-60 rupees then it is not acceptable at all. We will try to make the 35 rupees fixed by the government effective. The price will come down within a month.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture Marketing has said that it is unreasonable to sell potatoes at retail price of Tk 38 to 42 per kg. Therefore, a letter has been sent to the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) from the Department of Agricultural Marketing to ensure the sale of potatoes at a maximum price of Tk 30 per kg at the consumer level. The letter was recently sent to the deputy commissioners of 64 districts of the country.
According to the letter, the total demand for potatoes in the country is about 6 lakh 9 thousand tons. Bangladesh has produced about 19 million tons of potatoes in the last potato season. According to this calculation, the country has a surplus of 31 lakh 91 thousand tons of potatoes. Although some amount of potato is exported, the risk of deficit is very low.
It is learned that at present the potatoes of Bikrampur are being sold at Tk 55 to Rs 58 per kg at the retail level. And potatoes from Rangpur and Rajshahi are being sold at Tk 58 to 60 per kg. Concerned people say that the syndicate traders are behind the increase in potato prices.
www.banglatribune.com
Shafiqul Islam
Published: 20:45, October 21, 2020 | Last updated: 21:29, October 21, 2020
The market has created an artificial crisis of potatoes. Potatoes are stored in the cold storage and the warehouse is kept empty. Showing that there is no normal supply of potatoes in the market. Potato prices have been increased due to crisis in supply management. Despite the government fixing the price of potatoes in two phases in the face of the demand of traders, potatoes are not being sold at the fixed price anywhere in the country. Nowhere in the country is there a supply of potatoes at Tk 28 per kg, on the pretext that they are being sold at Tk 50 to 55 per kg. This information has been known by searching in multiple markets of the capital.
Meanwhile, the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has started selling potatoes at Tk 25 per kg from Wednesday (October 21). However, it did not have any effect on the market. As a result, there was no sign of resolving the existing instability in the potato market.
According to sources, after the second round of meetings with potato warehousing and wholesalers, the government has rescheduled the price of per kg potatoes from Tk 30 to Tk 35 in the retail market. The price was set at a meeting at the Department of Agricultural Marketing at Khamarbari on Tuesday (October 20th).
Earlier on October 8, the Department of Agriculture Marketing had fixed the price of per kg potato at Tk 23 at the cold storage level, Tk 25 at the wholesale level and Tk 30 at the consumer level. Letters were also sent to the deputy commissioners to confirm this price. But traders objected to the fixed price. At one stage they stopped selling potatoes. In the meeting on Tuesday (October 20), considering the overall situation, the price of potato has been re-fixed at Tk 28 per kg at cold storage, Tk 30 at wholesale and Tk 35 at retail.
Meanwhile, it has been found that big traders have stored thousands of tons of potatoes in cold storage in the hope of making more profit. Gradually, the potato-centric crisis has intensified and these potatoes are being gradually released from the cold storage at higher prices on the pretext of mismanagement. 10 tons of potatoes are coming in the market against the demand of 100 tons. As a result, unscrupulous potato traders are trying to destabilize the market by creating a crisis of 90 tons. Potato wholesalers have complained.
The largest wholesale market for potatoes in the country is Kawranbazar in the capital. I went to the potato wholesale market for a long time and saw that there is no stock of potatoes anywhere. Empty everywhere. There is no way to understand that thousands of tons of potatoes are traded here every day. There is complete laziness.
When asked, wholesaler Abdur Rahman said, 'There is no supply of potatoes in the market. So we're sitting lazy. No trade. Potatoes are in cold storage. But the storekeepers are not releasing potatoes from cold storage. What will the market do? So I am sitting lazy. '
Meanwhile, a search in Munshiganj near the capital revealed that the cold storages there are now full of potatoes. At other times during this time of the year, potatoes are gradually released from cold storages and released into the market. However, this year's picture is different. This year, new potatoes are being stored in empty cold storages.
When asked, Sarwar Hossain, manager of Sonar Bangla Cold Storage in Mirkadim, Munshiganj, said, 'We had some space in our cold storage. Last week I left 200 maunds of potatoes and filled them. In this way, the empty space in the cold storage in this area is being filled with new potatoes.
Meanwhile, the market will be monitored to check whether the potatoes are being sold at the price set by the government at Tk 35, said the Agriculture Minister. Abdur Razzak. "Market monitoring will be intensified in a day or two," he told reporters at the agriculture ministry at the secretariat on Wednesday (October 21st). The traders have returned home happy with the price fixed by the government. They themselves have said that if this price is not implemented, they will be considered as profiteers. They will try their best to cooperate with us. And we will intensify market monitoring from Thursday or in a day or two.
The Minister of Agriculture said, 'For many years the price of potato is 30 to 35 rupees. If it is, people will not think so. But if it becomes 50-60 rupees then it is not acceptable at all. We will try to make the 35 rupees fixed by the government effective. The price will come down within a month.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture Marketing has said that it is unreasonable to sell potatoes at retail price of Tk 38 to 42 per kg. Therefore, a letter has been sent to the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) from the Department of Agricultural Marketing to ensure the sale of potatoes at a maximum price of Tk 30 per kg at the consumer level. The letter was recently sent to the deputy commissioners of 64 districts of the country.
According to the letter, the total demand for potatoes in the country is about 6 lakh 9 thousand tons. Bangladesh has produced about 19 million tons of potatoes in the last potato season. According to this calculation, the country has a surplus of 31 lakh 91 thousand tons of potatoes. Although some amount of potato is exported, the risk of deficit is very low.
It is learned that at present the potatoes of Bikrampur are being sold at Tk 55 to Rs 58 per kg at the retail level. And potatoes from Rangpur and Rajshahi are being sold at Tk 58 to 60 per kg. Concerned people say that the syndicate traders are behind the increase in potato prices.
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