Last year, the West Bengal state government allowed traders to stock potatoes in cold storage till 31 December but with the rise in prices, it has been decided that stocks have to be cleared from the cold storages by this month itself.
The state government has asked traders to clear potatoes stocked in cold storage within 30 November to increase supply in markets while its task force continues to visit markets in the city and districts to monitor price of vegetables.
In the wake of rise in vegetable prices, chief minister Mamata Banerjee held an emergency meeting in Nabanna last Thursday, stating that a section of the traders had increased the prices unnecessarily taking advantage of Cyclone Bulbul. She directed the task force, police to initiate a drive to control prices. Following this, the task force and the police have been visiting the markets.
“The overall prices have decreased due to our visits. For instance, the price of a product that was priced Rs 80 a week ago is currently Rs 40 to Rs 50. We’ve succeeded in controlling the prices as directed by Miss Banerjee. This year, there has been a slightly lower cultivation … leading to a rise in the prices. We will continue our visits and hope that the prices would be decreased further,” said Mr Rabindranath Koley, member of the task force.
