OKARA, March 4: Growers are sustaining heavy losses due to the very low market price of potatoes — which fetch only Rs300 per 105kg, while as much as Rs100 is spent on arranging sacks and transporting the produce from farms to markets.

Growers and middlemen said that potato crop had been very good this season, but the Export Promotion Bureau was not interested.

Last year, potatoes were exported to Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand and some other countries.

This year, cost of inputs had been relatively high. Due to the closure of canals, agriculturists were forced to use tubewells and incur extra electricity and diesel costs.

Growers’ organizations have demanded of the government to take immediate steps for exporting potatoes as the weather is still in favour of growers.

The crop can still be stored in the fields, but the growers will soon have to put up the crop in cold storage.