Mamata Banerjee adopts strategy to keep potato prices in check

KOLKATA: Potato politics is in full swing in Bengal, the second-largest producer of the tuber in the country. With Lok Sabha elections only a few months away, the Mamata Banerjee government has taken a two-pronged strategy to keep the rural vote bank intact in the potato belt of the state and to ensure that potato prices do not pinch the pockets of urban and semi-urban consumers.

Potato is the second-largest crop in the state after paddy. Last year, farmers did not get the right price for their produce and they were forced to go for distress sale. But consumers had to pay more for the tuber due to unscrupulous activities of traders, which forced Mamata Banerjee to ban potato exports from the state to keep retail prices under control.

Last year, farmers got Rs 400 a quintal for their produce that was much below their cost of production. However, the common man was forced to buy a kg of tuber at a price as high as Rs 30. This time, the government does not want to take chances.

State Agriculture Minister Moloy Ghatak said: “We held a meeting last week in Singur, one of the leading potato growing regions in the state. We have told the traders that they can send potatoes to other states after ensuring the supply line for the people of this state. And the trade should also see that the farmers get good price for their produce. ”