Potato growers, traders demand rational cold storage rental rates

Potato farmers and traders of Rajshahi have demanded that the rent for preserving potatoes in cold storages be fixed at a rational level. Their demand is that, as per the recommendation of the District Recommendation Committee, after deducting five kilograms (Kgs) per sack based on net weight, the maximum rent for potatoes should be fixed at Taka five per kg.

The demands were raised at a press conference held today at the office of the District Potato and Raw Materials Traders Cooperative Society in Takipur of Paba upazila, Rajshahi. At the press conference, the written statement was presented by the General Secretary of the association, Iftekharul Islam Dony. At that time, the President of the association Ahad Ali Shah and other leaders of the organisation and farmers were present. At the press conference, Iftekharul Islam Dony said, for almost two years they have been demanding the fixation of a rational rent for preserving potatoes in cold storage.

In view of their demand, separate recommendation committees were formed in the potato-producing districts of the country with the aim of fixing a rational rent. In continuation of this, the recommendations of various districts have been submitted to the office of the Director General of the Department of Agricultural Marketing. Praising the role of the Rajshahi District Recommendation Committee, he said, despite various adversities and non-cooperation from the cold storage owners, the committee has given an almost neutral set of recommendations. Although the farmer-traders have dissenting opinions on some issues of the recommendations, they have accepted it.

He further said, in column No. 8 of the report of the Rajshahi District Recommendation Committee, it has been recommended to fix the rent of potatoes at Taka 5 per kg after deducting an additional five kg of potatoes per sack. On the other hand, in the reports of various potato-producing districts of the country, the average rent of potatoes per kg has been mentioned as Taka 5.20. Even after that, due to the adamant stance of the cold storage owners, it has not been possible to finalize a rational rent.

Highlighting the importance of Rajshahi and Rangpur regions in the country's potato production at the press conference, he said, the two regions together produce about 70 percent of the country's total potato production. However, no representative from Rajshahi and Rangpur has been kept in the national committee formed to determine the rational rent of cold storages. He claims that although there was a recommendation from the higher level of the government to include representatives of these two regions, they have not been kept even in the latest committee. For this reason, he complained that there has been no opportunity to give formal statements and advice in the process of fixing rent at the national level.