Comments
Potato prices in West Bengal dipped by nearly Rs 50 a quintal in the last one month on the back of improved supplies.
Wholesale price of the tuber (Jyoti variety) was ruling around Rs 800 a quintal in the first week of June, down from Rs 850 a quintal in mid-May.
According to Patit Paban De, member, West Bengal Cold Storage Association, nearly 12 per cent of the potatoes kept in cold storages have found their way into the market so far.
Close to 59 lakh tonnes of potatoes have been stored in the 425 odd cold storages in the State this year. “Usually, close to 15 per cent of the stock from cold storages are released into the market around this time of the year. But ,this year, the release has been lower as the process of unloading started a bit late,” De told Business Line . The prices could have come down a tad lower had the release been at par with previous year, said Sukumar Samanta, General Secretary, Singur Ratanpur Aloo Byabasi Samiti. Close to 54 lakh tonnes of potatoes are usually kept in cold storages across the State. However, this year, the storage has been higher on account of a higher production. There has been a 12 per cent rise in potato production in the State to nearly 98 lakh tonnes this year.
Demand
The demand for Bengal potatoes continues to be steady and this would keep the prices firm at current levels, De said.
West Bengal consumes around 50-55 lakh tonnes of potatoes produced; while nearly 40 per cent find its way into other States.
“So far, the demand has been good and Bengal potatoes are being transported to other states. “However, if for some reason, the movement of potatoes to other States is affected, then it can lead to a price crash as the production is also higher this year,” he said.
Comments
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.