Nafed supplies may ease potato crisis

Nafed has already started loading potatoes procured fom Kanpur

The prevailing crisis in potato supplies to Odisha could ease, with the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed) committing supplies of 20 tuber-laden trucks in three to four days.

“Nafed has already started loading potatoes procured from Kanpur. It has assured that 20 potato-laden trucks will reach Odisha in three-four days. While six trucks are earmarked for Bhubaneswar, four trucks each will reach Cuttack. Berhampur, Rourkela, Sambalpur and Puri will receive two trucks each. The state will get 20 truckloads of potatoes from Nafed for three days,” said Pravakar Rout, deputy director, department of food supplies & consumer welfare.

Suresh Kumar Vashishth, managing director, Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC), had written to Nafed on November 11 to ensure potato supplies.

“As per the decision taken by the government on November 11, it is requested to procure potato of 20 trucks each (one truck containing 200 quintals of potatoes approximately) per day for the next three days commencing from November 12. The rate of one quintal of potato, including handling cost both at loading and unloading point and transportation charges and other taxes, if any, up to the delivery point may be intimated,” Vashishth wrote to the branch manager, Nafed.

Potato crisis in the state has only deepened with the West Bengal government refusing to budge from  its stand to lift export curbs completely on potatoes.

Supplies of the essential vegetable on Wednesday dwindled sharply with only seven trucks reaching Bhubaneswar compared to 23 trucks on Tuesday and two trucks in Cuttack, as against five trucks the previous day. Three truckloads of potatoes from Uttar Pradesh reached Sambalpur while Rourkela received three trucks.

“Potato prices are high due to supply shortfall. Stability in potato prices is unthinkable till normal supplies are restored by the West Bengal government. The supplies from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar will not suffice,” Rout said.

Potatoes are procured by the state at a price of Rs 2,000 per quintal, while they are sold at Rs 25 per kg at the government’s fair price shops and Udyan Fresh stores, where people stand in serpentine queues. Retail prices of the vegetable were still ruling at Rs 40 a kg. The state’s annual potato requirement stands at around 900,000 tonnes, a lion’s share of which is met by West Bengal.