Wholesale prices of potato in West Bengal have risen over two-fold on account of a 14 per cent drop in production this year.
The wholesale price of the tuber (Jyoti variety), is currently ruling at around ₹9.5-10 a kg, as compared with ₹4 same period last year. Retail prices have gone up by 20-30 per cent across both the varieties — Jyoti (mass variant) and Chandramukhi (premium) — over this week.
The Jyoti variety is being sold at ₹12 a kg (₹10/kg) in the retail market, while Chandramukhi is fetching close to ₹18 a kg (₹15/kg).
Potato production in the State is at 95 lakh tonnes (lt) this year against a bumper production of 110 lt last year.
According to Patit Paban De, President, West Bengal Cold Storage Association, disincentivised by lower prices last year, farmers reduced the area under cultivation of the crop this year, thereby impacting production.
“The area under potato cultivation is lower by close to five per cent (or around 4.4 lakh hectare) this season,” De told BusinessLine . Potato cultivation in Bengal is spread across 4.6 lakh hectares and the key growing areas include districts like Hooghly, Burdwan, Bankura and Medinipur. Delayed sowing of the tuber on account of late harvesting of kharif paddy due to post-monsoon showers also impacted the output.
Lower production
In fact, other key potato producing States too have been witnessing a drop in production this year. Across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Bihar, production is down anywhere between 20 and 30 per cent.
According to Mahendra Swarup, President, Federation of Cold Storage Association of India, Uttar Pradesh — the largest potato growing State — recorded a 19 per cent drop in production at 130 lakh tonnes this year (160 lt).
The 20-30 per cent drop in all-India production has brightened the prospects for Bengal potatoes, which are finding their way into the markets of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Assam. This is further expected to push up retail prices in Kolkata and other markets of West Bengal.
“Potato prices are likely to inch up further to around ₹20 a kg at retail level following a production drop across the country,” market sources said.