West Bengal: Potato prices likely to fall further

Potato prices in West Bengal, which has appear down by virtually ₹4-5 a kg in excess of the very last fortnight, is likely to appear down even more if the State govt does not extend the time restrict for release of the complete inventory from chilly storage.

The wholesale potato cost in the State is at the moment ruling at all over ₹11-12 a kg, as as opposed with ₹15-16 a kg at conclusion of Oct and early November. Cold storages ordinarily enter into a contract for holding the tuber until November thirty of just about every year and the lease is arrived at on the basis of that. The State govt decides to extend the day relying on the inventory predicament.

Festive affect

The potato prices experienced absent up throughout the festive year owing to a surge in demand and very poor release from chilly storage owing to the unavailability of labourers. The State govt stepped in and issued a notification inquiring farmers and traders to release the complete inventory from chilly storage by November thirty so as to reduce individuals from hoarding potatoes.

In accordance to Patit Paban De, former president of West Bengal Cold Storage Affiliation, this introduced down prices by virtually ₹4-5 a kg in the very last fortnight.

“Close to 23-24 for every cent of the inventory is even now remaining guiding in chilly storage, as as opposed with near to twenty for every cent throughout the usual year. We assume this to appear down to near to 16-seventeen for every cent by the conclusion of this thirty day period. If the State govt does not allow for an extension in the time period and if the remaining potatoes were to be taken out from chilly storages by November thirty, then the tuber will get rotten and the prices will crash,” De told BusinessLine.

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Potato generation in West Bengal is higher by virtually 16 for every cent at one hundred ten lakh tonne this year, as as opposed to ninety five lakh tonne in 2020. Shut to seventy one lakh tonne of potatoes were stored in chilly storage this year, as versus fifty five lakh tonne in 2020. There are all over four hundred chilly storages in Bengal and the complete storage capability is approximated to be near to 70 lakh tonne.

Cultivation of potatoes in Bengal is unfold in excess of near to four.six lakh hectares of land. Hooghly, Burdwan, Bankura, East Midnapore and West Midnapore are essential growing districts.

It is to be famous that the cost of potatoes in Uttar Pradesh, which is a person of the essential growing locations, has also dropped to all over ₹8-ten a kg mainly because of the arrival of new crop. Shut to ten-12 for every cent of the inventory in Uttar Pradesh is remaining in the chilly storage at existing.

Continuous demand

In accordance to business resources, there is a constant demand for tuber as weighty rains in specific sections of the state has impacted other greens.

“There is a great demand for Bengal potatoes in the neighbouring marketplaces of Assam, Bihar, Odisha as very well as in some of the southern marketplaces which have been terribly impacted by rains,” a trader said.

Sowing in West Bengal has also been delayed owing to premature rain and this is likely to direct to some delay in the arrival of new crops. So the present-day inventory would be made use of up in December and early January.

Sowing in Uttar Pradesh has also been delayed owing to rains. “In some of the marketplaces these as Farukkhabad and Kannauj, the early crop has also been spoilt owing to weighty rains,” said Arvind Agarwal, President of Uttar Pradesh Cold Storage Affiliation.

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“If the West Bengal govt problems notification allowing inventory to be stored in chilly storages for a bit longer then the present-day inventory would support meet this demand. This will also keep prices organization at present-day levels,” De pointed out.