Some of the other demands of the association to the railways include, withdrawal of re-booking system for long distances and special discount on the booking rate.
The cold storage association also wants the multi-point loading and unloading facilities up to 800 kms, as at present the facilities are restricted up to 300 km, beyond which re-booking is necessary.
Also, only 40 metric tonne of potato should be allowed in a 64 metric tonne capacity of wagon, with charges applicable only for 40 metric tonne, De said.
This year, potato production in West Bengal is pegged at 88 lakh tonne, an increase of almost 25 per cent over last years' crop of 70 lakh metric tonne. The local requirement of potato is close to 40 lakh metric tonne.
About 80 per cent of the stock has been moved to the 370 cold storages in the state.
According to De, against the production cost of more than Rs 300 per quintal, for potatoes loaded in the cold storages, the farmers this year are getting less than Rs 150 per quintal.
The total losses of those involved in the trade, including the farmers, has been pegged at Rs 770 crore by the association.
This month, a section of potato traders have also threatened to go for a strike, and hold demonstrations through road blockages in Kolkata.
