Ban to continue on transportation of potato outside Bengal

To prevent rising prices of potato in the state, the West Bengal government has decided to continue a ban on its transportation to other states and abroad until normal situation was restored.
The state should give priority to its own demand and contain the rising prices of potato before transporting them to other states or countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan, state Agriculture Minister Purnendu Bose said after a meeting of the Task Force on price rise here today.
The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The ban on sale of potato outside the state was imposed early last month.

The state has still a stock of about 32 lakh tonnes of potato which would help the state meet its demand till December till the next crop is available, Bose said.
The state government has already arranged to open fair price shops for vegetables in about 19 markets in the city and steps were being taken to increase the number, he said.
President of the Forum of Traders' Organisation Pashim Banga, Rabindra Nath Koley, also a member of the Task Force, claimed that the vegetable price has already come down and the situation was much better in North Bengal.
"Only potato is costlier in North Bengal than in South Bengal because of transportation cost," he said.

Bose further said the chief minister suggested to enhance production of fish in the state to meet its growing demand.