December 12, 2018
Bangla Govt allows storage of potatoes in cold storages till Dec 31
The initiative on the part of the Mamata Banerjee government to store potatoes in cold storages nearly free of charge in the month of December is likely to maintain retail prices at a stable level even in February-March.
The state government has already issued a notification in this regard, stating that potatoes can be kept in the cold storages till December 15 without paying any additional rent and beyond this period till December 31, an extra rent at the rate of Rs 12 per quintal could be charged from the users of the cold storages.
It may be mentioned that in the end of November, cold storages are closed for routine maintenance work for the next year. So, a huge amount of potatoes are dispatched to the market, which is much more than the demand. Thus, they have to be sold off at distress-price levels. The retail prices had dropped to a ridiculous Rs 2.50/kg in December 2016. This results in huge losses for the farmers.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has instructed government officials to keep the potato prices under control. Every year, the price of potatoes start soaring steadily in January and February and so, the government has decided to extend the storage facility till another month, which will create a supply-demand balance. This will ensure a parity in the market price.
