Potato exports from Bangladesh are experiencing a rebound following an unusual slump last fiscal year, driven by a significant decline in local prices. The increased exports bring hope that Bangladesh’s potato trade could return to levels seen over the past decade.
For the past nine years since FY16, Bangladesh had consistently exported about 50,000 tonnes of potatoes annually, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE). However, exports fell sharply to 12,112 tonnes last year.
So far in the current fiscal year, exports have already reached 11,055 tonnes within the first seven months, with major destinations including Malaysia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, Oman, Canada, and the Maldives.
The rise in exports offers relief to farmers in key potato-growing regions, who have been facing losses as the harvest season peaks on a record-high acreage. Farmers in areas like Rangpur, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Bogura, and Joypurhat reported that potatoes were selling for Tk 11 per kilogram, while production costs stood at approximately Tk 15 per kg.
This fiscal year, potatoes were cultivated on a record 5.24 lakh hectares, a 15% increase from the previous year, driven by high prices reaching as much as Tk 80 per kg last November. The total production is expected to reach 1.20 crore tonnes, according to the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association, although the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics estimates a slightly lower figure of 1.06 crore tonnes. Last fiscal year, 1.09 crore tonnes were produced, surpassing the country’s annual demand of around 90 lakh tonnes.
For many farmers, the increase in exports is helping recover some of their losses, as local sales have been unprofitable. Abdul Baset, a farmer from Joypurhat, mentioned that he had exported over 650 tonnes of potatoes and had additional orders, highlighting the role of international markets in mitigating domestic price challenges.
