‘Measures taken to check distress sale of potatoes’

kolkata: State Agriculture minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said on Monday that the state government has taken all possible measures to prevent distress sale of potatoes in the state by kicking off the process of purchasing potatoes at a minimum procurement price (MPP) of Rs 650 per quintal.

Presently, the Jyoti variety is being sold from the agriculture field at Rs 8 plus per kg while Chandramukhi variety is being sold at Rs 10 plus with the state government deciding to purchase 10 lakh metric tonnes of potato directly from the farmers at MPP. “Distress sale has already started in Uttar Pradesh but our step of procuring potatoes directly from farmers at MPP will prevent similar situations in Bengal,” Chattopadhyay said.

Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari ‘mentioned’ the matter at the floor of the Assembly and urged the government to procure potatoes from farmers at MPP.

Chattopadhyay said that the farmers are facing trouble because of a short supply of NPK fertilizer by the Centre, which is extensively used in Bengal. The farmers are incurring additional cost for fertilizer of same quality as NPK and presently are spending Rs 3579 per bigha for cultivation. However, the price would have been Rs 2530 per bigha if there has been supply of NPK as per requisition made by the state government.

“Last year, the farmers had got a record price for potatoes and in North Bengal it sold at Rs 14-15 per kg from the agriculture field itself,”

state Panchayats and Rural Development minister Pradip Majumdar said.

According to Majumdar, a section of businessmen had stored potatoes in cold storages hoping that there will be a natural calamity causing damage to cultivation and taking advantage they will indulge in black marketing. However, the masterstroke by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of purchasing potatoes at MPP from the farmers has shattered the hopes of such businessmen. “The farmers’ interest will be protected fully in the state and the unscrupulous businessmen who had planned hoarding of potatoes will have their intentions foiled,” he added.

According to Majumdar, on March 1 potatoes were sold at Rs 4.50 per kg in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab at Rs 4.75 to Rs 5 per kg.

The potato producing districts from where the crop will be procured are Howrah, Hooghly, West Midnapore, Bankura, East Burdwan, Murshidabad, North Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and

Cooch Behar.