In Bangladesh, Munshiganj Potato Farmers Face Crisis as Over 590,000 Tons Lack Cold Storage.

Potato farmers in the Munshiganj district are facing significant difficulties this year, despite a bumper harvest. A large quantity of their produce, specifically 593,000 tons, could not be stored in cold storage facilities (himaagars). This situation has left farmers in distress, forcing them to resort to alternative and often less secure methods for preservation.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, this year saw a substantial potato cultivation across the district’s six upazilas, covering 34,758 hectares. The total production reached 1,060,119 tons, an increase of 19,069 tons compared to the previous year. However, the available cold storage infrastructure in the district is insufficient to handle this volume. While Munshiganj has 74 cold storage facilities, only 58 are currently operational. These operational facilities have a combined storage capacity of 540,000 tons.

The problem is compounded by the fact that a significant portion of the cold storage capacity – approximately 25 percent – is used to store potatoes brought from outside the district. This leaves even less space for the locally grown potatoes. As a result, farmers were only able to store 467,000 tons of their potatoes in the available cold storage facilities. The remaining 593,000 tons are left without professional preservation.

Farmers report facing various obstacles when trying to access cold storage. Some state that storage quotas are sold out even before the potatoes are harvested. Large businessmen often purchase these quotas in advance and may sell them to farmers at inflated prices, increasing the cost of storage. One businessman mentioned buying quotas annually, storing potatoes if profitable, or otherwise selling the quota, noting that holding quotas provides advance payment to the cold storages. This syndicate-like control over storage space adds to the farmers’ woes.

With cold storage inaccessible for more than half of their yield, farmers are improvising storage solutions at their homes and farms. Farmers in areas like the char lands and upazilas including Sirajdikhan, Sreenagar, Louhajang, and Gazaria are experiencing this problem. Methods include creating bamboo structures in their homes, storing potatoes inside rooms, piling them up in fields, or simply leaving them scattered around their houses. Swapan Mridha, a farmer from Chandandhul village, mentioned storing some potatoes in cold storage but keeping two thousand maunds (a traditional unit of weight) at home, expressing concern that the potatoes might rot in the heat. Mobarak Mia and other farmers from the Char area’s Adhara Union also reported lacking cold storage space for thousands of tons of potatoes and are storing some in fields and on bamboo structures or inside rooms at home.

Adding to the storage crisis is the economic pressure on farmers. Despite the abundant harvest, the market price for potatoes is low. One farmer, Zakir Bepari, reported that his production cost per kilogram was 20 Taka, but he is forced to sell at 12 Taka per kilogram. Storing in a cold storage, for those who managed to secure space, costs 5 Taka per kilogram in rent. Farmers are therefore deeply concerned about recovering their production expenses.

The Deputy Director of the Munshiganj Agricultural Extension Department, Biplob Kumar Mohanta, acknowledged the situation, confirming the cold storage capacity and the amount stored. He stated that farmers have been advised to use various local methods to preserve the remaining potatoes.

The crisis highlights a significant gap between agricultural production capacity and post-harvest infrastructure, leaving farmers vulnerable to losses and financial hardship in years of high yield.