Potatoes worth Tk 3cr rot in cold storage amid hopes of higher prices

Around 30,000 maunds of potatoes stored in a cold storage facility in Madaripur have rotted after being kept there for nearly a year and a half in the hope of selling them at higher prices.

The current market value of the potatoes is estimated at around Tk 3 crore, according to the Madaripur Cold Storage authorities.

Madaripur Cold Storage manager Abdul Karim confirmed the matter on Friday (September 18).

According to the cold storage authorities, around 20,000 sacks of potatoes, each weighing 60kg, were stored there in March 2025. The owner, Mir Habibur Rahman, kept the potatoes in storage in the hope of getting a better price.

However, as the expected price did not materialise by September 2026, the potatoes were not released to the market.

A large portion of the potatoes has since rotted after being stored for such a long period. The rotten potatoes have already started emitting a foul smell.

Over the past two days, some of the potatoes have been sorted and distributed free of charge to local farmers and livestock farmers to prevent public nuisance.

Local traders said potatoes need to be marketed within a certain period to maintain their quality. Keeping them in storage for too long resulted in a large quantity being spoiled. At the same time, traders had to bring potatoes from outside to meet local market demand.

Abdul Karim said the potatoes had been stored in March 2025 and that their temperature and quality deteriorated due to the prolonged storage.

“If the potatoes are dumped in an open area, the foul smell may cause public suffering. That is why some of the potatoes are being distributed free of charge to farmers and livestock farmers,” he said.

He said around 30,000 maunds of potatoes stored in 20,000 sacks had been spoiled, with their current market value estimated at around Tk 3 crore.

However, potato owner Mir Habibur Rahman said it was not yet clear why such a large quantity of potatoes had spoiled. He suspected that there might have been a mechanical problem inside the cold storage.

He said experts from Dhaka would be brought in to examine the potatoes and determine the cause.

The cold storage authorities, meanwhile, claimed that the quality of the potatoes deteriorated because they had been stored beyond the prescribed period.

Madaripur Agricultural Marketing Officer Rubel Mia said he would visit the Madaripur Cold Storage to inspect the situation.

He said the authorities would investigate why the potatoes had been stored for such a long period and what caused them to spoil.

-MT