Potato dispatches from Bengal up 35% day after traders withdraw strike

A day after West Bengal potato traders called off their indefinite strike, dispatch of tubers from cold storages surged by 30-35 per cent to fill the demand vacuum, officials said on Thursday.

The traders' body said they would continue to adjust supplies in an effort to stabilise prices.

"Since last night, around 8 lakh packets of 50kg each have been dispatched compared to the normal daily average of 6 lakh packets," said Progressive Potato Traders' Association secretary Lalu Mukherjee on Thursday.

He assured the state government of adequate supply and asserted that traders would refrain from exporting the produce to other states for now, as the government has pledged to address local concerns first.

Rabindranath Kole from the Traders Forum and a state task force member said, "The news of the strike withdrawal has led to some price reduction, but a significant decrease will be seen at the wholesale level, which hovered at Rs 34 per kg, once the produce hits the market in sufficient quantities."

The potato traders went on strike on July 21 in protest against alleged harassment by the state government and local administrations in exporting the tuber to other states.

"The strike had been withdrawn. Agriculture Marketing Minister Becharam Manna had assured us on behalf of the state government of an amicable solution," Mukherjee said on Wednesday.

To mitigate the strike's impact, the West Bengal government had earlier decided to engage self-help groups (SHGs) to sell potatoes at affordable prices.

"Strike by the potato traders has been withdrawn, and they have assured the government they will help reduce the prices of the tuber in the local market before exporting to other states," said Manna.

According to Manna, cold storages and traders have assured the government of supplying potatoes at Rs 26 per kg at the cold storage level. This should help bring down the price to close to Rs 30 per kg for the non-premium Jyoti variety.

"There is an assurance from cold storage units that they will supply potatoes at Rs 26 per kg. We will ensure that the supply is not disrupted," Manna added.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had recently directed officials to take steps to control the prices of vegetables, including potatoes. Task forces formed by the state government have been conducting raids in markets to prevent hoarding.

The strike had spiked potato prices in retail markets between Rs 40 and Rs 45 per kg.