Potato supply ban sparks political tensions, price hikes in states

Amid political blame game over Bengal's ban on tuber exports, which led to shortages in Jharkhand and Odisha, Uttar Pradesh farmers are the unlikely winners

As West Bengal imposed restrictions on interstate potato supplies to manage stock levels, triggering price surges and a political war of words in neighbouring states, farmers in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s top potato producer, are seeing a silver lining.

After a long time, potato prices in Uttar Pradesh are inching up due to increased demand from states like Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Assam, which rely primarily on West Bengal for their supplies. 

With the harvesting of new crops delayed by 10-20 days because of late sowing, extended rain, and challenges in procuring fertilisers like di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), the hardening of