Mitigating Potato Supply Crisis in West Bengal

In response to the ongoing potato supply crisis in West Bengal, Food Supply Minister Krishna Chandra Pata announced plans to manage potato prices and ensure the arrival of 300 truckloads of potatoes from Uttar Pradesh. The minister emphasized that the state currently holds a sufficient stock of potatoes, amounting to about 7 lakh metric tons against an estimated demand of 5 lakh metric tons. This initiative aims to address traders' dissatisfaction and counteract any attempts to artificially inflate prices through black market activities. The government is poised to implement stringent measures to control the pricing of potatoes, ensuring that they do not exceed a fair market value of 35 taka per kilogram. The backdrop of this crisis stems from the imposition of additional regulations on traders which have led to organized protests within the trading community. Pata cautioned that if traders attempt to exploit the situation by raising prices, enforcement teams will take decisive actions. He also highlighted that while adequate supplies are available locally, any potential shortfall could be met by the additional shipments from Uttar Pradesh.