Why only potatoes, why not store other winter vegetables for summer?

Bangladesh produces eight times more vegetables in winter than in summer, which leads to a sharp rise in prices of summer vegetables every year.

Because of the saturated market in winter, oftentimes, it has been witnessed that traders dump surplus eggplants, tomatoes, cauliflowers, cabbages and other vegetables on the street after not getting fair prices.

Of the wide variety of vegetables produced in winter, only potatoes are kept in cold storage for a year-round supply, which begs a question: why not stockpile some of these other vegetables?

According to cold storage owners, it is possible to retain an additional supply of vegetables in the market for two-three months after winter if a portion of these vegetables can be stored properly, which can play a major role in food security.

Director General of DAE Badal Chandra Biswas told TBS, "It is true that the supply or production of vegetables is less in summer than in winter, which eventually impacts prices."

"We have two plans. One is to increase the export of vegetables and the other is to develop a cold chain to store fresh and processed vegetables. Discussions are underway and we may hold a formal meeting soon to decide on an action plan regarding the storage," the DAE DG said.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) publishes data on the production of at least 29 varieties of vegetables including beans, cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, carrot, brinjal, string bean, and radish during winter.

The total production of vegetables in winter is around 1.36 crore tonnes, which drops down to just 15 lakh tonnes in summer, BBS data revealed.

According to agriculturalists, the reason for the summertime production drop is the Boro season — the biggest production period of rice which starts across the country at the end of winter.

Even though the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) data shows that the production in summer is around 85 lakh tonnes, this amount too falls short by about 50 lakh tonnes.

BBS data show that potato is the most produced vegetable in winter with more than one crore tonne.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Bangladesh Cold Storage Association, at present, there are 414 cold storage facilities in the country, and more than 95% of them are used for storing potatoes. Imported oranges, fish and meat, dried chillies, turmeric, and ginger are stored in some storage.

When asked, former president of Bangladesh Cold Storage Association Mosharraf Hossain told The Business Standard (TBS), "Potatoes can be stored at 7-15 degrees Celsius. But to store other vegetables, the temperature must be brought down to minus zero degrees, which will increase the storage cost by 20% or more."

"There is also a difference in storage management for different vegetables. But even if we do all that, there is no guarantee that people will buy winter vegetables in the summertime," he said.

"We have other freshly-grown vegetables available in summer. Unfortunately, there is a perception among consumers that stored vegetables are not good for consumption," Mosharraf Hossain added.

The cold storage system was developed in the country in the 1950s on a small scale, but it became widespread in the 1990s.

However, cold storage traders still do not consider it profitable as vegetable storage is more expensive and people are less inclined to eat winter vegetables in summer. 

No credible research has been done on this and no initiative taken by the government, except for some techniques available in books on how to store some vegetables for 1-1.5 months.

A trader named Fazlur Rahman built Rahman Specialised Storage in 2004 to store vegetables and fruits. Though he specially built this storage of 3,000-tonne capacity to store onions, only potatoes are stored there as he does not get a good price for keeping onions or other items. But this storage was designed to store various agricultural products including carrots, garlic, onions, peppers, and fruits.

"If cold storage is specially made, it is possible to store vegetables for up to 30-45 days depending on the type. But because of the high cost, there is concern among traders about whether these vegetables can be sold in the market. That is why entrepreneurs are reluctant to invest here," Fazlur Rahman said.

But if the government makes a special plan for the preservation of fresh and processed vegetables and makes a guideline, supporting entrepreneurs, then it may be possible to create such a supply chain, he added.

According to vegetable vendors and consumers, vegetables are a lot cheaper in winter but prices shoot up with warmer days.

Eggplant was sold at Tk35-40 per kg in late winter but as spring arrived, prices jumped up to Tk60-80, depending on the quality. 

Prices of tomatoes dropped to as low as Tk20-25 in winter but tomatoes, mostly imported, are sold for Tk80-100 in summer. The price of tomato has already started to increase in the market and is currently being sold for Tk30-35 per kg.

Cold storage traders said tomatoes cannot be stored for a long time as they contain too much water. The import of tomatoes from India starts after the end of winter, which are sold for Tk80-100 in the local market and the price soars to Tk150 sometimes. 

Cold chain to minimise post-harvest loss

The lack of cold storage facilities leads to a significant post-harvest loss in perishable commodities and developing a cold chain is the most significant way to reduce this loss.

According to various studies by the BBS and FAO, the post-harvest loss of agricultural products is usually 20-40%. 

However, in India, fruits, carrots, tomatoes, onions, pineapples, bananas, radishes, and pumpkins are stored in cold storage. 

There are about 7,500 cold storage facilities in India, mostly for potatoes. Still, post-harvest losses account for 18% of the country's annual fresh produce, prompting the government to offer as much as 40% cost subsidy for cold room promoters while banks also support long-term loans. A 5000-tonne capacity cold storage roughly costs around Indian Rs3.5-4 crore.

Despite these efforts, only 2% of India's fresh produce output gets cold storage and transportation facilities, compared with 85% in the USA.

Cold storage facility for 1-4 weeks is enough for vegetables and fruits, believes Yogesh Dahiya, Managing Director of India's Natural Storage Solutions Pvt Ltd, stating that farmers can consider daily rent of around Rs0.30 per kg for the period.