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The West Bengal Government is likely to relax “restrictions” on movement of potatoes to other States after December second week.
“Restrictions on export of potato to other States are expected to be removed after December 15, by when the extended deadline ends for holding the commodity in cold storages,” Subrata Biswas, Principal Secretary of the State’s Department of Agricultural Marketing, told Business Line . Usually, the January-March crop inventory in the State’s 425 cold storages diminishes by November 30.
Biswas said the Agricultural Marketing Department had issued a notification on October 20 “restricting” export of potato to other States according to the West Bengal Agriculture Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act, 1972.
The official said the State used a regulatory provision provided by the Act to impose the curb.
This came after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee last month decided to “cap” the retail price of Jyothi variety potato at Rs 14 a kg. About 40 per cent of the State’s production goes to Odisha, Assam, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
Shortage
The State’s “restriction” for inter-State movement of potato has been objected to by farmers and traders across other States. It has also created a shortage in retail markets in West Bengal, as farmers and traders were reluctant to sell it a “lower price”. Arunava Ghosh, a lawyer, however, said: “The so-called restriction was in effect a ban and is essentially bad in law. The State’s agri-marketing laws cannot be invoked in such an issue in our federal structure. “Potato is not an essential commodity and no restriction can be imposed on sale, price and movement of potato, under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955”.
A member of the State’s agri produce marketing task force explained that a “such a restriction could only be temporary” and inter-State movement of potato is expected to be normal after December 15. “The current stock of about 13 lakh tonnes in cold storages should suffice for the local consumption (5 lakh tonnes a month) before the new crop arrives,” the member said.
Patit Patit Paban De, a member of the West Bengal Cold Storage Association, said the supply situation should become normal as harvesting of the tuber varieties begins in the first week of January in West Bengal.
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