Potato firms up on steady demand, lower output

Potato prices in West Bengal have firmed up by almost 16 per cent over the final 1 month backed by constant desire and lessen creation of the tuber this year. The wholesale value of potato (the typical Jyoti selection), which was ruling at ₹1,800-one,900 a quintal in the to start with week of June, has absent up to ₹2,two hundred a quintal at current.

The retail value of the typical selection (Jyoti) is ₹28 a kg, ₹3 a kg larger than the ₹25 a kg a fortnight back. The top quality Chandramukhi selection is fetching ₹34-35 a kg (₹28 a kg a fortnight back).

According to Patit Pavan De, Member, West Bengal Cold Storage Affiliation, while the general release of potatoes from cold storages up to June conclude this year is pretty much at par with final year, offloading, nonetheless, was lessen in the month of June. This pushed up prices.

Additionally, the Point out federal government has been procuring potato for its mid-working day meal plan at a relatively larger value (pretty much ₹3 a kg larger than its typical procurement value). This has also served prices to agency up.

“The lessen creation of potatoes, coupled with a constant desire from federal government for mid-working day meal plan, has firmed up potato prices in Bengal,” De explained to BusinessLine.

Potato creation in West Bengal has been lessen than anticipated mainly due to the delayed sowing and the unfavourable temperature conditions through harvesting. The Point out, which produces a hundred and ten-115 lakh tonnes of the tuber each and every year, is estimated to deliver just 85-90 lakh tonnes this year, lessen than final year’s creation of 92 lakh tonnes.

Stress purchasing

The loading in cold storages has also been lessen as when compared to final year, with only fifty five lakh tonnes (about 79 per cent of the overall capacity) of potato earning its way to storage models. There are all over four hundred cold storages in Bengal and they are capable of storing shut to 70 lakh tonnes of potatoes.

The overall release of potato up to June conclude is shut to 23 per cent, which is at par with final year. Offloading of potato normally begins only all over conclude April or early May perhaps and the total desire for the tuber is fulfilled by means of direct harvest from the fields. However, this year, the lessen creation and the larger desire from inside of and outside the house the Point out due to worry purchasing in the wake of Covid lockdown had led to offloading of potato from cold storages in April 8-10 per cent was introduced in April.

The West Bengal federal government, on Tuesday, issued orders to reimpose a complete lockdown across containment zones in Kolkata and across all districts of the Point out, suspending all things to do except crucial companies, in look at of climbing quantity of coronavirus instances.

This is likely to guide to a spurt in desire for the tuber, thus pushing up prices, a trader stated. West Bengal has previously been witnessing a spike in desire for potato on the again of reverse migration of workers to the Point out. This apart, there has been a fair desire coming in from Assam, Bihar and Jharkhand.