With only a fortnight to go before the potato sowing season is underway, farmers in Agra, India's largest potato growing region, are bracing for shortage of seeds and fertilisers. |
The shortages could further squeeze the already wafer-thin margins, traders and farmers said. "Shortages in these two basic inputs could lead to a 12-13 per cent rise in production costs," said Saheb Singh Chaudhary, a potato grower in Agra. |
Seeds and fertilisers comprise about half the cost of production of Rs 400 per 100 kg. After paying Rs 90 per 100 kg cold storage charges, a farmer's total cost comes to about Rs 490, while spot price is in the Rs 500-600 range. |
Potato is mainly a rabi (October-January) or winter crop, harvested from February. Agra and its surrounding areas produce about 40 per cent of the country's total potato crop. India's annual potato output is estimated at 27 million tonnes. |
Despite being the largest producer of potato, Agra does not have any local seed producing centre. Farmers in and around Agra source seeds from Jalandhar, Meerut and Shimla. "Due to the high demand for tuber potato, farmers prefer to sell the entire produce, rather than set aside a portion for seed production," said Satinder Pal Singh Setia, a local trader. |
The dry climate of Agra and its surrounding areas is also not considered ideal for seed production, he said. |