Rs 20/kg: Be prepared to shell out more for potatoes in the next few months

Farmers reduce supply to mandis amid spoilage fears due to heat; pre-monsoon rains rot large stocks in transit

Potato prices have recorded a sharp spike in the last two to three weeks amid spoilage fears due to heat and pre-monsoon showers across major cultivating regions.

Data compiled by the Nashik-based National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF) showed potato prices have shot up by 85.5 per cent in the wholesale market to trade at Rs 10.20 a kg in Kolkata compared to Rs 5.50 a kg towards the end of March 2019. Similarly, potato prices have jumped 29 per cent in Mumbai to trade at Rs 13.50 a kg now from Rs 10.50 a kg three weeks ago.