As potato prices have gone up over the past couple of weeks, the West Bengal Government has decided to take stock of daily release of potatoes from some 460 cold storages across the state. The goal is to keep prices in check. The price of potato hovered around Rs 22 to 25 per kg (€0.26-0.30) in the middle of August, now it is touching Rs 35.
The agriculture marketing department sources said the state had produced about 9 mln tons of potatoes this year, while its annual production was around 11 mln tons. But a drop in production has little to do with the sudden hike in prices as the state's annual consumption requirement is about 6 mln tons.
In an attempt to get rid of the situation and make potato available at Rs 25 a kg, the Bengal government has asked all the cold stores located in potato producing districts like Hooghly, East Burdwan and Birbhum to file a regular report mentioning daily release of potatoes.
