Bangladesh: Nilfamari Targets 8,300 ha of Early Potatoes as Growers Hope for Tk 90–100 per kg

Farmers in Nilfamari district in northern Bangladesh have started planting early potatoes, the Bengali daily Dainik Amar Bangladesh reported on 28 September 2026. Local agriculture officials said the district target for the season is 22,700 hectares of potatoes. Of this, 8,300 hectares are planned for the early crop. By the time of the report, only about 5 hectares had been planted.

In Kishoreganj upazila of the district, the potato target is 4,100 hectares. Lokman Alam, the upazila agriculture officer, and Mossa Homayra Mondol, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Nilfamari, were quoted in the report.

Early potatoes need a large investment. One farmer described a plot of 2 bigha. He paid Tk 40,000 to lease the land, and his total cost will be Tk 80,000–90,000. Male workers earn Tk 500 per day and female workers Tk 350. Farmers hope to sell the early crop at Tk 90–100 per kilogram. Last season, early potatoes from the area sold at about Tk 90 per kilogram.

Growers also complained about a shortage of fertiliser at government dealer points. Many have to buy fertiliser on the open market at higher prices, which raises their costs.

Why it matters

Bangladesh produces more potatoes than it consumes, and prices for the main crop have been low in recent seasons. Early potatoes reach the market before the main harvest, when fresh potatoes are scarce. This is why some farmers in the north take the risk of high costs.

The strategy works only if prices stay high. If many farmers plant early potatoes at the same time, the price can fall quickly. Weather is another risk, because rain in October can damage newly planted fields.

The fertiliser shortage is also important. If farmers cannot get fertiliser at official prices, the cost of the whole potato season will rise, not only for early potatoes.

Photo: Potato field in Munshiganj, Bangladesh (illustrative). কুউ পুলক / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0