Potato is going to be added to the government's food aids to ensure its surplus output.
The agriculture ministry has sent a letter to the PMO, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, NGO Bureau, and Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner requesting them to include potato as a relief item.
The letter, issued on August 19, said the country has produced an all-time high of 11.3 million tonnes of potato this year
The stock of the item is very satisfactory and its diverse use should be ensured.
As there is enough supply, the item should be added as a food aid like that of rice, flour, and other items under the relief works of the government, said the letter.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA) recently had requested the agriculture ministry to help market more than 2.0 million tonnes of surplus potato.
The Association said 400 cold storages had 5.0 million tonnes of potato of which above 2.0 million might remain unsold this year amid poor demand due to the pandemic.
However, stored potatoes of cardinal, diamant varieties were selling at Tk 22-25 a kg while carriage variety at Tk 32-35 a kg in the city retail markets for the last seven days.
