State to set up 20 more cold storage units

KOLKATA: With the increase in agricultural yield last year, state Horticulture department has decided to set up more cold storage units in various districts of Bengal.

Senior officials of the state government said with the increase in production of raw materials — especially potato and onion — the state is facing a shortage of cold storage units. Thus, it has been decided that 20 cold storage units will be set up at Hooghly, Birbhum, Purulia, East Midnapore, West Midnapore and Howrah districts.

Predicting a bumper harvest of potato this season, the state government decided to allow cold storage owners to purchase at least 20 lakh metric tonnes of the tuber from farmers at a fixed price, so that they do not have to suffer losses.

The state government will also help cold storage authorities in case they require bank loans for making the purchase at Rs 6/kg. It has been witnessed in the past that in the event of a bountiful production, a section of potato farmers leave their produce in the agricultural field knowing that it would be difficult for them to realise even the cost of transportation.

So, lakhs of potato farmers in Hooghly, East Burdwan, West Medinipur, Bankura, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Howrah and Uttar Dinajpur districts may not be able to get the proper price.