The Rangpur agricultural region, including Gaibandha, Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, and Kurigram, faces a potential potato seed shortage next season due to delays in constructing a new 2,000-ton cold storage facility. Existing storage units are insufficient and affected by legal restrictions, increasing costs and difficulties for dealers and farmers who must source seeds from distant locations. Although 70% complete, the cold storage project has been extended multiple times, with hopes it will be operational before the next planting season.