Cold storage body offers potatoes at Rs 26 per kg to govt to stem prices

Kolkata: The West Bengal Cold Storage Association (WBCSA) has offered to supply potatoes to the state government at Rs 26 per kg amid high prices in the retail market, officials said on Wednesday.

At present, potatoes are being sold in the retail market at Rs 37-40 per kg, depending on the size, they said.

“We have sent a proposal to the state government about supplying potatoes at Rs 1,300 per 50 kg packet (Rs 26 per kg) with a minimum size of 35mm to Sufal Bangla. The price is ex-cold storage gate,” an official of the WBCSA’s Hooghly unit said. The cold storage price currently is Rs 28-29 per kg.

“We cannot handle distribution ourselves. We can arrange about 3 lakh quintals per day for the government, which is nearly 30 per cent of Kolkata’s daily requirement. There was a meeting with the state administration on Tuesday and they have shown interest,” the official said.

Most of the potatoes to Kolkata arrive from the Hooghly district.

It may be mentioned that the task force issued directions on market prices to the District Magistrates and police superintendents on Tuesday to keep potato prices in check.

The first meeting of the task force on the price rise issue was held on Tuesday following Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s directions last week for taking suitable measures to bring down the price of vegetables, particularly potato, in 10 days. “We have issued directions for increasing outflow of potato from cold storage. The police have been asked to strengthen surveillance in the border areas to ensure potatoes are not exported till the price is controlled in the state,” a senior Nabanna official said.

The task force issued directions to Self-Help-Groups (SHG) and Primary Agricultural Credit Societies for selling of potatoes at subsidised rates since 58 temporary stalls are being run by them.

Agricultural Marketing minister Becharam Manna said state-run Sufal Bangla outlets are selling 3 kg of potatoes and 1 kg of onions per family at Rs 29 and Rs 39 per kg, respectively.

The Agricultural Marketing department added another 25 Sufal Bangla stalls taking the total tally from 468 to 493 while another 58 temporary stalls in the districts are also being run by the department.

The high prices were attributed to low production and inferior quality caused by unfavourable climate conditions, industry sources said.

Despite cold storage data indicating that 45 lakh tonnes of potatoes are available, in real terms, it is 30 per cent lower after accounting for very small size varieties and wastage, they said. This year, the share of small-size potatoes is double that of the previous year, they said, adding the overall national production shortfall has also kept prices elevated.With agency inputs