Bangladeshi potatoes see growing international demand
Potato exports from Bangladeshi farmers supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) continue to grow, as producers came together today to celebrate another year of success.
Four producer co-operatives joined the fourth annual potato export inauguration in Rangpur – the country's main potato growing region, reads a press release.
Robert D Simpson, FAO representative in Bangladesh, who attended the event, stressed that potato production is part of an agricultural export strategy but it is also important to invest in value addition.
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"FAO is working with the government to increase exports of key crops, including potatoes, as part of a long-term vision to transform the country's agriculture sector. With the right support, Bangladeshi potato producers are able to meet growing international demand in a competitive market. This is a successful model for other crops," he said.
Last year, Bangladesh produced 11 million metric tonnes of potatoes – making it the third largest producer in Asia, after China and India.
More than a third of potato exports went to Malaysia, a fifth went to Nepal and a fifth went to Sri Lanka. Other countries that imported potatoes from Bangladesh included Myanmar, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Brunei, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, and Lebanon.
Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture are looking to start exports to Russia, Fiji, and Vietnam.
Farmers started to grow a new potato variety called 'Sunshine', intended specifically for export. It is quick-growing and achieves high yields.
The success of the export initiative is due to a partnership between the Sara Bangla Krishak Society (SBKS), a national network of farmers' organisations, and FAO under its 'Missing Middle Initiative' project.
Together, they worked with the Department of Agricultural Extension, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), and BPEA. The Ministry of Agriculture, through the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), and BADC have been supporting potato producers to increase exports since 2019.
