Faridpur potato farmers struggle with cold storage woes

Sacks of potatoes in a cold storage facility. UNB

Faridpur,  March 18  – As the sun beats down mercilessly on the sprawling agricultural fields of Faridpur, an all-too-familiar struggle unfolds, storage crisis for their produce – potatoes. 

Locals said farmers and traders with tonnes of freshly harvested potatoes, find themselves in a desperate race against time, vying for elusive storage space in the region’s limited cold storage facilities. 

Their patience wears thin as the queue of trucks, brimming with golden heaps of potatoes, snakes along the Rajbari Road.

For days on, weary farmers linger under the oppressive heat, their precious produce vulnerable to the unforgiving elements. 

Despite their best efforts, many are met with disappointment, as storage space remains in short supply, leaving them grappling with an unsettling fear—the looming prospect of spoilage.

A Battle Against Time and Heat

For the past five to six days, long lines of trucks have remained stagnant outside the cold storage facility on Rajbari Road. 

Inside the tightly packed vehicles, sacks of potatoes sit precariously, their quality slowly eroding with each passing hour. 

Farmers watch anxiously, knowing that nature does not wait.

The standard practice dictates that bookings for cold storage must be made months in advance, typically in December and January. 

Even those who meticulously followed this protocol are finding themselves at an impasse. 

The growing demand for storage space has led to a backlog, further exacerbating the plight of traders and farmers alike.

Selim Mollah, a trader who journeyed all the way from Thakurgaon with 13 tonnes of potatoes, expressed his distress. “I arrived in Faridpur five days ago, but I’m still waiting to store my potatoes. The prolonged wait has left me exhausted, and I’m worried the heat will ruin my produce.”

His frustration is echoed by many others who share his predicament—stranded with their crops, caught in a cycle of uncertainty.

A Facility Strained Beyond Its Limits

Faridpur Cold Storage Limited, a privately owned facility established in 1995 in the bustling Goalchamat area, stands at the heart of this crisis. 

With a storage capacity of 150,000 bags—each capable of holding 60 kg of potatoes—the facility serves farmers and traders from March to November. 

Besides, it provides short-term storage for fruit vendors, catering to a diverse range of agricultural needs.

At the onset of the storage season, merchants from Faridpur, Gopalganj, Kushtia, Jhenidah, Magura, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Thakurgaon, Rangpur, Dinajpur and Rajshahi flock to this vital hub, eager to safeguard their produce. 

Each bag stored comes at a price of Tk 405, a necessary investment to ensure their harvest remains intact until it reaches the market.

Yet, the sheer volume of potatoes arriving in tandem has pushed the facility to its limits. 

Rustum Mollah, the manager of Faridpur Cold Storage, attributes the bottleneck to an overwhelming yield and an influx of trucks arriving simultaneously. 

“We’ve already received over 60,000 bags of potatoes. Once we clear the backlog, we’ll be able to manage the remaining stock,” he explained.

However, the challenge is not just about capacity—it is also about manpower. 

“We have a limited number of unloading workers, which is causing delays in storing potatoes from distant areas. However, we aim to clear the waiting trucks within the next four to five days,” he assured, offering a glimmer of hope to those still waiting.

A Larger Crisis in Cold Chain Infrastructure

The situation in Faridpur is but a microcosm of a larger issue plaguing Bangladesh’s agricultural sector—an acute shortage of cold storage facilities. 

The country’s existing infrastructure, though boasting over 300 cold storage units with a combined capacity of 2.7 million metric tonnes, remains woefully inadequate. 

This deficiency leads to significant post-harvest losses, compromises food safety, and stifles the potential for agricultural trade.

Experts argue that a well-developed cold chain system could revolutionise the sector, enabling farmers to expand export opportunities while ensuring their produce retains its quality and nutritional value. 

Without such an intervention, farmers will continue to battle the elements, their hard-earned yields at the mercy of time and temperature.

For now, the farmers of Faridpur remain steadfast in their vigil, hoping against hope that their patience—and their potatoes—will not go to waste. - UNB