Bengal halts potato exports, orders cold storage inspections to tackle price hike
Kolkata: Acting on the Chief Minister’s instructions, the Bengal government on Friday directed a complete halt to the export of potatoes to other states and ordered that cold storages holding the potatoes be emptied.
The state government has also made its stand clear that until the state’s demands are met, the export of potatoes to other states will not be allowed.
At the meeting with Task Force officials and traders, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant unequivocally stated that no potatoes be sent out to other states as of now.
Pant also expressed displeasure over the role the potato traders had played which led to a steep rise in price in the markets.
The Chief Secretary during the meeting also instructed to make the cold storages empty so that nobody could hoard potatoes. Pant also directed the Task Force officials to carry out inspections in various markets to ensure that potatoes, onions and other vegetables are not sold at high prices. Police will also have to conduct raids to check any kind of black marketing, as Pant has pointed out during the meeting.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday expressed concern over spiralling prices of potatoes and onions, wondering why the share of such vegetables meant for the state was sold outside, ignoring her directives to maintain a healthy stock. She had also directed the officials concerned to file a report on the matter.
“I had given instructions to keep a stock of potatoes and onions to meet the state’s demand. The instruction was not properly followed. Please look into the stock status and file a report immediately,” Banerjee told the administration at the state secretariat on Thursday.
Banerjee also questioned if this practice was contributing to local price hikes. She sent the message that her government would not allow a section of businessmen to earn profits by selling potatoes outside states leading to a price hike in the state.
“Why should others benefit from it? Farmers are given crop insurance. Making profits from selling potatoes outside will not be tolerated as the price of potatoes is skyrocketing,” Banerjee said on Thursday.
Following the Chief Minister’s message, the Task Force officials earlier in the day carried out inspections in several markets across Kolkata on Friday morning.
The officials inspected vegetable stalls to ensure no illegal price surcharges were being applied and also checked for any violations related to excessive pricing.
Friday’s raids were part of ongoing efforts by the government to control the spiralling costs and address concerns related to market manipulation by middlemen.
Rabindranath Koley, a senior member of the Task Force during Friday’s inspection expressed his unhappiness over the high price of onions in several markets.
New onions are sold at Rs 55 per kg while the old onions which are imported from Nasik are being sold at Rs 70 per kg.
In some of the markets, the potatoes were sold at Rs 32 per kg while in some others the price remained at Rs 35. Koley warned that legal action will be taken if the prices are not brought under control.
