Bengal government continues ban on inter-state movement of potatoes. file. | Photo Courtesy: Sandeep Saxena
Urging the West Bengal government to ease the ban on potato trade, the West Bengal Cold Storage Association (WBCSA) on Tuesday said the ban has caused irreparable damage to the potato trade.
The West Bengal government has banned the sale of potatoes in other states after the price of potatoes increased in the local market.
“In West Bengal, potato production is traditionally consumed in a 60:40 ratio, with 60% consumed within the state and the remaining 40% traded to other states. However, due to the state’s recent apprehension over possible shortages in potato stocks stored in cold storage units, the inter-state movement of potatoes A complete ban on movement was imposed, despite the variety of potatoes being traded,” said a press release by the WBCSA. .
The ban has disrupted this established trade flow, particularly in southern districts such as Bankura, Medinipur and parts of Bardhaman and Hooghly, which has affected potatoes in cold storage facilities, the association added.
“The ban on inter-state movement of potatoes is causing irreparable damage to the cold storage industry in West Bengal, and will prove disastrous for the rural economy as it will also affect farmers,” said Subhajit Shah, vice president. WBCSA.
The potato varieties mainly consumed within Bengal are Jyoti and Chandramukhi, while other varieties grown in areas such as Bankura, Medinipur, parts of Vardhaman (Guskara Block), and Hooghly (Goghat Block) are commonly traded in neighboring states.
A representative of the association said that a large amount of potato stock is currently kept in cold storage in danger of not being sold before the arrival of the new crop at the end of December 2024.
“If these stocks remain in cold storage even after the new harvest, there is a risk of spoilage, causing huge financial loss to both farmers/tenants and cold storage operators,” WBSCA said. Despite the ban on inter-state movement, the price of potato in West Bengal has not come down and the retail price of Jyoti variety potato in West Bengal is Rs 35 per kg and Chandramukhi variety is Rs 43 per kg.
After the ban on potato trade, neighboring states Jharkhand and Odisha expressed displeasure and said they would reduce their dependence on West Bengal. Despite the ban, there is news that potatoes are being smuggled into the neighboring states through the border areas of the state.
published – Dec 18, 2024 at 04:18 pm IST