Bangladesh Imports 2,055 Tons of Potato Seed from The Netherlands

With the onset of potato cultivation season, the traders have begun importing quality potato seed from the Netherlands. The 2,055 tons of potato seed have recently arrived through Chittagong port on controlled environment containers, which are used to transport temperature-sensitive cargoes like fruits, meat, frozen fish, and vegetables.

The Chittagong Plant Quarantine Station Deputy Director, Ashaduzzaman Bulbul, said that the authorities were helping the traders complete import proceedings fast, issuing the import permit and release orders without any delay. The imported potato seed include such potato varieties as Diamond, Carolus, Margarita, Barcelona and Accent.

Previously, the Department of Agriculture Marketing (DAM) froze the price of potato country-wide at Tk35 per kg (USD0,41) at retail markets, Tk30 wholesale and Tk27 at cold storage. However, potatoes were being retailed at prices far exceeding those numbers, due to high demand.