At a time when there has been a bumper potato crop in West Bengal, nobody expects the farmers of the state to be unhappy. But with middlemen ruling the roost and the lack of cold storage facilities for surplus produce (30 lakh metric tonnes approximately), the farmers here are resorting to distress sale. They have even been dumping their crop on roads in protest against poor prices. While middlemen are buying potatoes from farmers for Rs 1-1.50 per kg, consumers are shelling out for Rs 7-10. The overall loss in the potato trade is estimated to be over Rs 750 crore. Enquiries revealed that the production cost for a farmer is nearly Rs 3.50 to Rs 4 for each kg of potato. Surprisingly, state minister for agriculture marketing Mortaza Hossain pleaded ignorance about ground realities. “I do not know the exact price of potatoes in the retail market. I have to find out from my officers why the price continues to be high. Price should come down once potatoes start coming out of the cold storages.” The total potato production in the state has been 85 lakh metric tonnes. Following protests and a couple of unconfirmed reports of farmer suicides, the Government is exploring ways to export potatoes outside the state. The idea of exporting potatoes to Bangladesh came a cropper since that country too has recorded a surplus production. Other destinations like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and other southern states are now being considered. However, the high cost of transportation involved could prove to be a big hurdle. Some stocks have been dispatched to states in the north-east like Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya, officials said. Though the state Government agreed to provide Rs 40 crore as transport subsidy, farmers are yet to avail the opportunity as they are not equipped to work out the modalities of exporting consignments to other states. “We do not know how to avail the advantage of the transport subsidy. The Government is not controlling middlemen who are buying our produce at a very low rate and trading it with maximum profit that they can have,” said Bidhubhushan Kole, a potato grower in Burdwan. “Most farmers cultivate potatoes by borrowing money, either from cooperatives or from moneylenders. With such an acute crisis hitting us, most farmers cannot repay their loans,” said Kole. “I took a loan of Rs 35,000 but cannot repay it. Last year, I repaid half the loan after I mortgaged my belongings. I have no way out this year,” said Anil Pandit, a farmer in Dhanekhali in Hooghly district. Meanwhile, the West Bengal Cold Storage Association (WBCSA) has urged the state Government to include potatoes in the midday meal programme so as to increase their consumption. The WBCSA has also asked the Railways for a 20-wagon rake for transporting potatoes to the south, where demand is higher than supply. None of the options have, however, worked out till now. “Though the agriculture marketing department agreed with our proposals, nothing has been implemented so far. Exporting potatoes to the southern states through roadways is very expensive,” said Patit Paban Dey, vice-president, WBCSA.
