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West Bengal’s potato farmers in trouble as other states grow their own |
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KOLKATA: Even though the ban by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on sale of potatoes to other states over the past three years has been lifted, cases of farmer suicides, which some say may have been driven by the fear of heavy losses, are still being reported.
Farmers here are unable to cash in on the impact of unseasonal rains on the output in Uttar Pradesh while the traditional buyers in Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and the northeast have already reduced their dependence on West Bengal for supply of the tuber.
Potato production has been 15 per cent higher in the state this year than in the previous one, at 110 lakh tonne. Since the neighbouring states are not picking up much from Bengal, the farmers are being forced to sell potatoes at Rs 140 for a 50 kg packet while the cost of production has been the same at Rs 250. This means, the farmers are facing a loss of Rs 110 on a 50 kg packet. Last year, the farmers had sold a 50 kg packet at Rs 300-350.
"The neighbouring states have started growing potatoes on their own and they are also relying on tubers from Uttar Pradesh. This has resulted in drying up of orders from these states," said Gopal Mondol, advisor, West Bengal Progressive Potato Merchants Association.
"Nearly 40 per cent of our production generally gets exported to other states. It is a difficult year for the farmers of Bengal. They will face heavy losses but consumers will get potatoes at a lower price."
Production of potatoes has been 25-30 per cent higher across India, which has further put pressure on the farmers in the state. West Bengal needs seven lakh tonne potatoes every month for its own consumption, said Patit Paban De, a leading potato trader and a member of West Bengal Cold Storage Association.
"From May 15 to December 15, we will require around 42 lakh tonne potatoes. Another 5-6 lakh tonne potatoes will be used for seeds. Nearly 63 lakh tonne of potatoes can be loaded in our cold storages. If the demand from other states remains robust we will face no problem. The government should try to help traders sell their produce in south Indian markets," he said.
The government has announced that it will buy potatoes but the traders and farmers say that they have not seen bulk buying by the state government. "The government is buying in very small quantities and there is not much impact in the market," said De. The state government has announced a transport subsidy of Rs 100 per quintal on potato exports through Kolkata port to clear the stock so that field level prices become remunerative.
However, there is very little global demand for potatoes produced in the state. While Sri Lanka sometimes buys potatoes from West Bengal, the total exports amount to less than one lakh tonne. Officials dismissed the reports that some farmers may have committed suicide due to financial distress.
However, the Calcutta High Court, hearing a public interest litigation filed in 2012 after the suicide of 79 potato growers, recently asked the state government to submit a report on the steps taken to alleviate the farmers' plight.
Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com
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