Potato traders called off the strike on Wednesday afternoon. Even after 24 hours, potato prices remained the same in Hooghly on Thursday! However, the traders assert that they have removed potatoes from the district’s cold storages since Wednesday afternoon. It will reach the market today, Friday. If there is no problem in supply, the price will also be under control from today. The same is the demand of the Agriculture Marketing Minister.
Lalu Mukhopadhyay, state secretary of the West Bengal Progressive Potato Traders Association, said, “The frozen potatoes will reach the market by Friday morning. More than what is needed will be reached. As a result, its impact will also be felt this morning.” Agriculture Marketing Minister Becharam Manna said that the overall supply and price of potatoes have already come under control. “Until Thursday afternoon, except for a few markets in Kolkata and North 24 Parganas, the price of potatoes has started to be controlled in the entire state. More potatoes will reach the market during the night. The rates will be completely controlled from Friday.”
On this day, the frozen potatoes did not reach Sheoraphuli Farmers Market, one of the biggest wholesale markets in the district. The few wholesalers who had stock of potatoes were sold at high prices. A sack of Chandramukhi potato was sold at Rs 1700-1800 (a sack or packet of 50 kg) and a sack of Jyoti potato at Rs 1550-1600. The same is the case with other markets in the district, including the old vegetable market of Arambagh. In the retail market, Chandramukhi 40 and Jyoti potato were sold at Rs 35 per kg.
Traders in the Sheoraphuli market, however, feel that it will take another two to three days for prices to come down and supply to be fixed. Incidentally, market inspection is going on at the government level to control potato prices. Somewhere potatoes are being bought from farmers and sold at Rs 26 under government initiative. However, the mobile centers selling potatoes at government prices under the supervision of the District Agriculture Marketing Department are alleged to be less than the demand.
The potato market was busy in rural Howrah on Thursday as well. Chandramukhi did not meet practically. Jyoti potatoes were available, but the price was high. Uluberia potato trader Sanat Manna said that due to the strike, there was a shortage of potatoes for two days. Chandramukhi was not available. On this occasion, some retailers were selling at inflated prices. He hopes that the prices can be normalized from today, Friday.
