Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Mamata Banerjee stops movement of potatoes from West Bengal, other states hit -Sutanuka Ghosal & Bikash Singh

Mamata Banerjee stops movement of potatoes from West Bengal, other states hit -Sutanuka Ghosal & Bikash Singh

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Nov 1, 2013   modified Modified on Nov 1, 2013
-The Economic Times


KOLKATA/ GUWAHATI: Mamata Banerjee's decision to stop movement of potatoes from the state has made the tuber go beyond the reach of common people in states of Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and the entire north-east. Prices have touched the roof in most of these states with people in Assam buying a kilo of potatoes at Rs 45. Traders say that in the last two days, price of the tuber in these states has appreciated by 30%-100%.

Potato supplies to these states have to come to a halt from Wednesday and prices have escalated. West Bengal currently has 17 lakh tonne of potatoes in cold storages. "Bengal will require 12 lakh tonne of potatoes for the next one and a half month to meet its demand. Another 4 lakh tonne of potatoes will be required for seeds. The rest 5 lakh tonne will be required to send to other states. Otherwise farmers will have to make distress sale as new potatoes from Punjab and UP will start entering the market by middle of November," said Patitpaban De, member, West Bengal Cold Storage Association.

In Odisha, prices of the tuber have appreciated to Rs 25-30 per kg from Rs 16 -17 per kg last week. In Bihar and Jharkhand prices have appreciated by 50%.

In AP too prices have escalated by 35%-50% depending upon the variety. The price rise has been more than 100% in the retail markets in north-east India where prices have touched Rs 45 per kilogram from Rs 20 a kg a week ago. Northeast India hugely banks on the supplies from West Bengal to meet its potato requirement.

Presently, potatoes are coming to seven states of north-east India from UP. Last week, hundreds of trucks carrying potatoes were stranded along the Assam-West Bengal border.

Vinod Surana, secretary of Guwahati Potato Onion Merchants' Association said that the move by the West Bengal government has created paucity of supply. Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi spoke to Mamata Banerjee recently following which, around 400 trucks were allowed to cross Bengal border and enter Assam. But now the movement has completely stopped.

Prices of the tuber is varying between Rs 30 to Rs 45 per kg of potatoes. The retail prices of a kg of potato in Assam, Manipur and Meghalaya stood at Rs 30. In Tripura, price of a kilo of potato is hovering around Rs 30 to 35. In Mizoram, the price is at Rs 40 a kg and in Nagaland, price is ranging between Rs 40 to 45.

The region requires around 8,000 tonne of potatoes per week. Surana added: "Around 90% of the region's requirement is sourced from West Bengal. Due to the on-going impasse in Bengal, potatoes coming from UP are high priced as they have to be transported from Agra".

He added that prices of potatoes are expected to get moderated only after the crop arrives to the Market from Punjab. Crop from Punjab is expected to hit the market by third week of November. "We are also likely to get potatoes from Meghalaya in November," he said.


The Economic Times, 1 November, 2013, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/commodities/mamata-banerjee-stops-movement-of-potatoes-from-west-bengal-other-states-hit/articleshow/25013741.cms


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close