Indian Cold storage owners support potato growers

At a time when potato farmers in West Bengal are forced to sell their produce at a huge discount owing to a bumper potato production of 88 lakh tonne this year, they found by their side not only the state government, but also the cold storage owners. To help liquidate surplus potato stock by transporting it to other states through the railways at lower cost, the West Bengal Cold Storage Association (WBCSA) has urged the ministry to allow its transportation by 20-tonne wagons in a full rake beyond the current limit of 500 km.

At the same time, it has urged the ministry to introduce special discount on the booking rate for potato and extend the multi-point loading and unloading facilities for the crop beyond the existing limit of 300 km. Such sops have been sought to avoid transportation of the crop by road, which is much higher than the railways freight cost. Riding on favourable weather, potato production in the state has increased to an all-time high of 88 lakh tonne against the state’s internal consumption of about 40 lakh tonne. Stung by such a glut in the current year’s supply, farmers are reportedly selling the vegetable at Rs 150-160 per quintal even after incurring a cost of Rs 300 per quintal, which is inclusive of input costs and transportation charges.