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Potato supply from West Bengal was disrupted again with the authorities of the neighbouring state re-imposing transport restrictions from today, a week after Trinamool Congress (TMC) government there relaxed movement of this vegetable variety to Odisha.
Several hundred potato laden trucks were returned from the Odisha border by the West Bengal police, reviving fresh supply problem of the tuber variety in the state. The restriction is likely to remain effective till the end of this month.
During the transport relaxation period, traders were allowed to send only 5,000 tonnes of potatoes to Odisha per day. The Odisha government said, there is no cause to panic as it has enough potato stocks sufficient for a month.
"The West Bengal government has clamped down on export of potato to other states once again. However, the state would not face any problem for one month as we have stocked sufficient potato in the last seven days. About 28,800 quintal of potato has come to the state and we have enough stock for next one month. The West Bengal chief minister will hold a review meeting on the situation and we hope the situation would be normal very soon," said the Food Supply and Consumer Welfare minister, Sanjay Dasburma. The fresh restrictions on tuber transportation has already led to rise in the price to Rs 28-30 a kg and is likely to increase further in the coming days, if the supply problems continue. Meanwhile, the state Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare department has issued instructions to all district collectors to initiate strict action against traders hoarding the tuber. "The district enforcement squads may be deployed to inspect the business premises of potato traders along with police personnel and appropriate action be taken against the traders who have hoarded large quantity of potato as per the provision of Essential Commodities Act, 1955," Madhusudhan Padhi, secretary, Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare wrote to the district collectors.
On last Thursday, the state government notified a task force headed by secretary, Agriculture & Food Production, to work out a permanent solution to the recurring problem of potato crunch.
