Munshiganj Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Syeda Nurmahal Ashrafi has warned that dealers selling potato seeds above the prescribed price will face legal action, mobile court operations and cancellation of their dealerships.
To reduce farmers’ production costs ahead of the upcoming potato cultivation season, she announced that the maximum price of a box of potato seeds would be fixed at Tk 15,000. She also urged cold storage owners to collect storage fees from farmers in accordance with the government-prescribed rates.
The announcement came at an exchange meeting held at the Deputy Commissioner’s conference room at noon on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. The meeting brought together potato traders, cold storage owners, fertiliser and seed dealers, and representatives of farmers from across Munshiganj district.
Chairing the meeting, Deputy Commissioner Syeda Nurmahal Ashrafi discussed ways to reduce potato production costs, expand the cultivation of improved varieties, ensure fair seed prices, improve cold storage management, and explore marketing and export opportunities for potatoes produced in the district.
Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Munshiganj Dr. Md. Habibur Rahman attended the meeting. Other participants included Additional Superintendent of Police Md. Billal Hossain, PPM; Chief Scientific Officer of the Tuber Crops Research Institute Dr. Nizam Uddin Ahmed; Chief Scientific Officer of the Soil Research Institute Farzana Shahreen; District Agricultural Marketing Officer Md. Samir Hossain Siam; and Munshiganj Press Club President Atikur Rahman Tipu.
Officials from relevant government departments, upazila agriculture officers, representatives of fertiliser and seed dealers, cold storage owners, farmer leaders and upazila nirbahi officers, who joined via video conference, also took part.
In her address, the Deputy Commissioner said Munshiganj is one of the country's leading potato-producing districts. She emphasised the need to expand high-yielding and improved potato varieties to make production more profitable and export-oriented.
She highlighted opportunities to export potatoes to South Asian markets and gradually expand into European markets. She also called for coordinated initiatives, including project proposals from the agriculture department, to achieve these objectives and sought cooperation from all relevant stakeholders.
Regarding cold storage management, Ashrafi said the government had fixed a storage charge of Tk 6 per kilogram for storing potatoes for eight to ten months, following recommendations from a previous consultation meeting.
She urged cold storage owners to comply with the prescribed storage rates and promptly pay outstanding bills to the rural electricity authorities to help maintain uninterrupted power supply.
Concluding the meeting, the Deputy Commissioner called for collective efforts to address existing challenges in potato production and marketing. She stressed the importance of organising further consultation meetings at the upazila and grassroots levels and coordinating effective measures among all stakeholders to support farmers and strengthen the potato sector.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by Mahabub Alam Babu, Munshiganj Correspondent • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
