Potato stock sufficient, retail price should be Tk35-36: Govt body
Business Desk :
The head of the government agency responsible for safeguarding consumer rights has expressed frustration over the high potato prices, emphasising that Tk35-36 per kg should be the maximum retail price.
“There is no likelihood of a crisis in the country until next December, given the current ample potato stock,” said AHM Shafiquzzaman, director general at the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, on Tuesday.
He came up with the comments after a view-exchange meeting with various levels of traders involved in the potato business and those involved in production.
The director general said that currently, potatoes are being sold at Tk50 per kg at the retail level.
According to data from the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association presented at the meeting, the country currently maintains a potato stock of 11-12 lakh tonnes, ensuring there will be no crisis until next December.
AHM Shafiquzzaman said, “Everyone agrees on one thing: there is no potato shortage; rather, an artificial crisis has been created in the potato market.
Now, drives will continue against those responsible for creating instability.
Tomorrow, monitoring will commence in 15 districts under the supervision of deputy commissioners.”
He stated that an artificial marketing crisis has been orchestrated due to the lack of a modern marketing system.
Mahmodul Hasan, deputy head of the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission, said, according to data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), potato production is supposed to be 14 lakh tonnes surplus compared to demand.
“Additionally, exports are lower compared to last year.
Given this situation, there is limited room for daily price increases.
To address this, it is crucial to implement printed receipts at the cold storage stages,” he added.
Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu, president of the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association, said, “The collective potato stockpile in cold storages, owned by association members and others, exceeds 12 lakh tonnes.
Therefore, there will be no crisis until the new potato yield begins in December.”
