Odisha GOVT to procure potato through NAFED

Bhubaneswar : The Odisha government has decided to procure potatoes from Uttar Pradesh through National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) to stem the tuber crisis in the eastern State. Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra said the decision has been taken to supply potatoes to consumers at Rs 30 per kg.

Odisha has been facing an acute potato crisis after neighbouring West Bengal stopped transportation of the tuber and traders from the State refused to purchase it from Uttar Pradesh stating that people don’t like the variety available in the northern State. The price of potatoes in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack was as high as Rs 60 per kg on Thursday.” The State government will purchase potatoes through NAFED and supply those to consumers at Rs 30 per kg,” he said.

The minister said the State government has already placed an order through NAFED for procuring 300 tonnes of potatoes in the first phase.”It will be available in the State by next weekend. In the first phase, it will be made available through government retail shops in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur and Berhampur,” the minister said.

The minister has also directed officials to take necessary steps to ensure hassle-free sale of potatoes to the people.

Patra had held a meeting with representatives of traders’ association, owners of cold storage units and retailers on Tuesday evening. After the meeting, the minister said the government has decided to step up procurement of potatoes from Uttar Pradesh.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on July 27 had met his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee in New Delhi and requested her to streamline potato supply to the State.However, the price continued to remain high in Odisha markets due to the “erratic supply of potatoes from West Bengal”, an official said.