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Consumers are suffering due to the soaring price of potatoes. Although the government has set the price at Tk 25 per kg, it has not been implemented in the market. Many vendors stopped selling potatoes due to government repression. They claim that they are forced to sell at higher prices as prices are higher in the wholesale market.
Wholesalers say many traders are reluctant to supply potatoes at prices set by the government. For this they are not supplying potatoes from the cold room. As a result, the supply in the wholesale markets has decreased. They cannot sell potatoes at the price set by the government, as they have to buy them at higher prices. If you want to reduce the price of potatoes in the market, you have to reduce it from the cold storage stage.
The Agricultural Marketing Department sent a letter to the Deputy Commissioners on October 8 fixing the price of the potatoes. The local administration has already started to monitor the implementation of that decision. Various initiatives have been taken, including discussions with local merchants and warnings. In addition, the National Directorate for the Protection of Consumer Rights is conducting operations in different markets of the country, including the capital. Artificially rising prices are also fined. Even after that, instability continues in the potato market. A coordination meeting will be held in Dhaka on Tuesday. The sources said the meeting with traders, farmers and cold store owners could lead to a new decision on the pricing of potatoes.
The potatoes were sold at a wholesale price of taka 35-36 per kg at Karwan Bazar in the capital on Monday. Vendors said: ‘Of the 22 stores in the market, only three have potatoes. That’s not enough. If the government sells potatoes at a fixed price, we will have to count the huge losses. In Munshiganj district, the price of potato is required at cold storage level at 35 Tk per kg. It will cost you two more rupees to come to the courtyard from there. We are both in crisis. If you sell at a higher price, you will have to pay a penalty. Again, if the price is low, they do not give potatoes from the cold room.
Leaders of the Cold Storage Association say traders have stopped supplying cold storage potatoes in Munshiganj, Comilla, Rajshahi and other areas due to government pricing. If it is sold at a higher price, the instructions of the government are disobeyed. Farmers and traders are also reluctant to sell potatoes at the price set by the government. Faced with this situation, they have stopped selling refrigerated potatoes. As a result, there has been a shortage of potatoes in several wholesale markets. This situation has been going on for the past five to six days.
Mozammel Haque, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association, told Kaler Kanth yesterday: “Traders who have put potatoes in cold storage are not taking out the potatoes. Again, we have not received any demand from them to increase the price of potatoes.
In this situation of the potato market, the government is going to hold a coordination meeting today in the Department of Agricultural Marketing. It will have the presence of merchants, farmers and owners of cold stores from different parts of the country. The meeting will discuss the justification of the price set by the government, the ways to increase the supply of potatoes in the market, etc. The Director General of the Department of Agricultural Marketing may preside over the meeting.
Potato prices fell in the country’s wholesale markets, including the capital Dhaka, on Monday. However, the gap with the retail market is much larger. According to the wholesale price list compiled by the Department of Agricultural Marketing every day, yesterday potatoes were sold at 26-28 taka per kg in different markets in the capital. But in reality a different picture has been seen. The highest price for potatoes was 50 rupees at the door crude market in the residential area of Bashundhara. It is also sold for 45 rupees in various stores. Seller Abul Hossain said: “We have to sell at a higher price because the wholesale price is higher.” Mehedi Hasan, a vendor in Bhatara’s Dhalibazar, said: ‘We buy Rs 42 per kg. As a result, it is difficult to sell at Rs 45 / kg.
The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh-TCB will sell potatoes at 25 Tk / kg to bring the market back to normal. According to TCB and sources of the distributor, the sale of potatoes could start from next Thursday. Initially, 100 kg can be delivered per truck.
TCB spokesman Humayun Kabir said: “Potatoes must be obtained through a specific process. It can then be delivered by truck. We are doing our best to give from this week.
TCB distributor owner of the capital Mahira Traders. Mamun said: ‘They didn’t tell us anything specific. However, an idea has been given that it will take place on Thursday.
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