Import operations from abroad have started to rein in the suddenly unstable potato market. But the price has not yet reached the hands of the consumer. In the meantime, new potatoes have started coming to the market. But the price is sky high!
New potatoes are selling at 170-180 TK per kg in the retail market. Accordingly, the consumer has to pay 12 TK to buy a new potato (15 per kg; 180 TK per kg). And the old white potato is being sold at the price of 46, 48, 50 and 55-60 TK per kg in the market and in some places in the local shops. In this case, the consumer has to pay about 6.50 TK to buy an old big potato (7-8 per kg; 50 TK per kg). Light red potatoes are selling at 80 TK per kg. At the same time red small potatoes are also selling at 70-80 TK a kg. In such a situation, middle class and lower middle class people are in trouble.
On Tuesday (November 7) morning, a visit to Dhaka’s New Market, Azimpur, Polashi and nearby raw markets showed the same picture.
It can be seen that old potatoes are being sold in most of the shops. As the price of new potatoes is high, buyers are not very interested. As a result, sellers are not stocking new potatoes. Almost all the shops in the Bonolota Kacha Bazar market of new market saw old potatoes arranged. Two or three stores have kept small quantities of new potatoes.
The sellers said that due to the sudden increase in the price of potatoes in the retail market, the buyers have already turned away. And the price of new potatoes is even higher. Potatoes are selling between 46 TK to 50 TK at this place depending on the store and the quality of the potato. But they also said that it is being sold outside the market in retail shops or in the mohalla at the rate of 60 taka per kg.
A potato trader said, the instability in the potato market would not have happened. If the government had announced the import of potatoes a month earlier, the market would have gone down further. The potato market has become unstable due to some unscrupulous traders and abuse of cold storage. We sellers are quite helpless. It has to be bought in the wholesale market at an additional price. Which is affecting the retail market.
Another businessman said that potatoes are running very low now. People are taking light for hotel or mess. Besides, those who were regular customers have reduced their purchase of potatoes for home consumption. Winter is coming. Now the amount of vegetables will increase. Good vegetables are available at the price of potatoes. So people are leaning towards that. The way potatoes are being imported, prices are likely to drop further this week.
The buyers coming to the market say that there is nothing left for the common people to eat. Alu bharta and dal-vai would somehow fill the stomach. Now due to rise in price of potatoes that too has been closed.
The buyer named Shamim Ahmed said, I have come to market for mess. Everything is expensive. Where earlier I could add two to three pieces of potato per millet in the curry, now it is difficult to add even one piece. If this situation continues, it will be very difficult for the poor people.
It is reported that 1 lakh 62 thousand tons of potatoes have been allowed to be imported so far. And after the permission, 2 thousand 700 tons of potatoes came to the country. This information was informed in a press release from the Ministry of Agriculture on Monday (November 6). Basically, since the last two-three months, there is a kind of instability in the potato market. A month and a half ago, the government fixed the retail price of potatoes at 35 to 36 TK per kg. After that, the price of the product did not decrease even after various measures. The Ministry of Commerce allowed the last import of potatoes to keep the price within reach.
