News on Potato Prices from Asia

To prevent rising prices of potato in the state, the West Bengal government has decided to continue a ban on its transportation to other states and abroad until normal situation was restored.

Potato prices are rising in North India due to a lack of supply

Pakistan is to allow duty-free import of another 100.000 tonnes of potatoes - in addition to the earlier approved 200.000 tonnes.

The Narendra Modi government (India) on Tuesday decided to bring onions and potatoes under the Essential Commodities Act (ECA) to curb black marketing and hoarding, blamed for recent surge in prices. This will empower states to impose caps on stocks of these two vegetables for traders.

Fries, chips and flakes manufacturers in India are concerned over firm prices of potato, which has seen a jump owing to poor crop this year. Companies assure that an increase in retail price was unlikely to take place in the short run.

Despite the assurances by the government, the price of potatoes in Pakistan has increased.

The imposition of 25 per cent regulatory duty on potato exports from Pakistan and making its import at zero per cent have yet to make the vegetable cheaper in domestic markets.

The price of potato in some markets in India has jumped 25 per cent in the past four days, due to reports of massive damage of the harvested crop from inclement weather.

The Sri Lanka government introduces guaranteed price for potatoes, onions and dried chili to stimulate growth of the agricultural sector, achieving national food security.

The humble potato has become a factor in Turkey's political and economic turmoil as prices of the staple soar, hurting the living standards of poorer Turks just before the ruling AK Party's toughest election test in a decade.

Since potato prices in West Bengal are fixed by state government, smuggling of potatoes to surrounding Indian states that do not have fixed potato prices has become a major issue.

West Bengal state government today started selling potato at Rs 13 a kilo, a price pegged by chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on a day potato traders in Bengal began a 3-day strike to protest the administration’s ban on selling the tuber to other states.

Potato prices have almost doubled in most parts of India over the past one week. While most states are yet to take steps to check the spike in prices, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has called a meeting on October 30 to review the situation.

Potato prices in West Bengal may depreciate by 8% on the back of a better crop prospect in south India. The south Indian crop is expected to enter the market next month which is likely to push down prices at the retail level.

Red, right size and low on sugar, Lady Rosetta is the flavour of the season for north Gujarat’s farmers.

In Bangladesh, favourable weather conditions and higher acreage are likely to boost potato yield in the ongoing harvesting season and have already pulled down the tuber's prices, agriculture officials and cold storage operators said yesterday.

With the new potato crop expected to be in market over the next two weeks, a sharp rise in input cost is likely to keep the prices firm. Prices of potato seeds in West Bengal, which accounts for 30 per cent of the country’s potato production, have gon...

After ruling firm for almost five months starting February this year, potato prices in West Bengal is on a declining trend.