Bengal to push potato exports

The West Bengal government is planning to promote potato as a prime export commodity from the state.

The government was keen on tapping the Bangladesh, West Asian and South East Asian markets, as the regions were dependent upon export for their domestic potato consumption, said Amit Kiran Deb, chief secretary of West Bengal.

The average potato production in West Bengal is close to 81 lakh tonne per year, out of which nearly 60 lakh tonne is for domestic consumption.

The government is now trying to increase its production by encouraging Kharif cultivation of potato, which is traditionally a Rabi crop, according to Deb.

With this view, the government is also holding a national potato exposition in partnership with the Indian Chamber of Commerce. Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Punjab are the partner states for the event.

"The average income of a farmer from potato cultivation in a hectare of land is close to Rs 10,000-12,000, against Rs 5,000 for paddy. If we can tap the export market, the farmers' income can increase manifold," he said.

Also, a National Potato Policy was on the anvil, he said. Potato production in West Bengal had been increasing annually at the rate of 15 per cent, he claimed.