Potato cultivation leaves Kandhamal farmers with debt burden

Having undertaken potato cultivation after being asked by officials, many tribals in Odisha's Kandhamal district are now regretting, left with a debt burden instead of surplus income.
A fact-finding team of experts who visited areas of Daringbadi and Belghar of the district where the potato cultivation was taken up on an experimental basis yesterday confirmed that the seeds were contaminated with bacteria and hence there was no yield.
After receiving complaints from potato growers of Daringbadi and Belghar areas in Kandhamal of inferior quality of potato seeds supplied by National Seeds Corporation (NSC), a three-member fact finding team of Dr K V Singh, N. Yadav and S K Ganguly recently visited Kandhamal to ascertain the cause of crop failure.

The seeds were said to be high and early yield variety.
According to Sukant Kumar Subudhi the Deputy Director of Horticulture, Kandhamal, 428 quintals of potato seeds were given to about 500 selected tribal farmers in Daringbadi and Belghar area on an experimental basis. Shockingly no yield was reported.
"We were forced to take such potato seeds by the local horticulture office but it yielded nothing ... Who will compensate us", said Krushna Chandra Kanhar, a farmer.
These farmers had availed loan for the cultivation to the tune of Rs 72 lakh from different cooperative institutions.
Kandhamal District Collector Yamini Sadhangi said she had drawn the attention of the government in this regard and suggested compensation to the farmers.