Bengal wants to ship potatoes to Bangladesh

Record potato production in West Bengal has left the state government in a Catch-22 situation.

Struggling to market excess potatoes, the West Bengal government has urged the Central government to allow potatoes produced in West Bengal to be exported to Bangladesh.

Abdur Rezzak Mollah, minister for agri-marketing in West Bengal, told Business Standard, marketing surplus potato was a concern for the government, as there were not enough cold storages to preserve potatoes produced in West Bengal this year.

"We have to increase potato exports. We have asked the Centre to allow potato exports to Bangladesh," he said.

The state is also planning to build its own cold storages to preserve potatoes. "So long, we were marketing potato through private players, who are not legally bound to buy potatoes. By next year, we will set a target of for potato procurement, and develop our own business. For this, huge investment is required, and we will have to build our own cold storages," the minister said.

The total capacity of about 370 cold storages (meant for potato only) in West Bengal, have a holding capacity of 53 lakh ton.

"Most of the cold storages are full, but some in Hooghly and Burdwan have some space left. However, the farmers are not willing transport potatoes to cold storages there, as the prices are already low," Patit Paban Dey, vice-president of West Bengal Cold Storage Association.

The prevailing prices of potatoes at the farmers level are less than half the last year, at Rs 100 for a 50 kg bag.

The state has procured 1 lakh ton of potatoes this season, at a support price of Rs 2.50 a kg..