Will We Say ’Aloo to Potato Shortage?

The end of the world as we taste it may well be coming to an end - or at least to a fritter of a stutter for a while. The Omicron variant of the Covid virus may have plateaued and be on its way out, but it has left the potato variants of meals in Southeast and East Asia in short supply. Global supply chains of the 'allowed aloo have been hit, leaving countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia halting or restricting sales of french fries. Even Japan has not been spared by supply-side disruptions in potato-producing North America and Europe. If Indian potato-making states led by Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar don't pick up the slack that may hit the sack here, we may be facing the prospect of a cutback on aloo tikis, dum aloos, even vada pavs and masala dosas, not to mention fries and fritters.

Even if the chances of an Irish-style potato famine is slim, the prospect of having to cut back on aloo - and the horror of replacing the ubiquitous tuber with muli - is radishing. Life before the Americas via Europe via the Spanish in the 16th century got the aloo in India was one thing. But once Indians tasted the blood of the potato, there was no going back. If, however, the supply chain disruption continues, we will have to brace for a non-merry 'alooween where both vegetarians and non-vegetarians will have to 'potatoe the line'.