Lack of cold storages leaves potato farmers in the cold

P C Chhib, the president of the Gujarat Cold Storage Association, said: “There should be a proper cold storage facility for potatoes, so that the commodity can be preserved for at least six months. While the Bihar government has set up cold storage facilities in each taluka, Gujarat has just 200 cold storage facilities.”

Ganpat Kachhava, head of Deesa Food Cold Storage Association, said: “North Gujarat, including Deesa, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Veraval, has suffered a loss of around Rs 300 crore.”

Likewise, Anand, Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Vapi and Valsad, have incurred losses of Rs 200 crore. There are just 62 cold storages for potatoes alone in Deesa, where farmers are now selling the produce at lower prices, he added.

He further said: “Earlier, the price for each potato gunny bag was around Rs 300. Now it is being sold at Rs 200.”

Shanker Mali, the president of the Deesa Vegetable Association, said: “Interestingly, farmers who have orders from McCains India and Pepsi are not at a loss, as they were given orders at the beginning of the year. Deesa gets maximum orders for potatoes from Mccains India and Pepsi.”

He added: “Farmers had been reaping profits for the last two years due to a good demand as well as favourable weather. Therefore, this year they invested more, but it did not work out. The farmers are worried as the state government has no special subsidies for the emerging problem, which might disturb the entire cycle of potato production. The loss has made them extra cautious and they are not investing much in potato farming. This might lead to a rise in the prices of potatoes.”