Tuber Trouble

For a state that has an uncanny knack of accruing crises, natural and manmade, Gujarat has landed in yet another...

For a state that has an uncanny knack of accruing crises, natural and manmade, Gujarat has landed in yet another problem. For the past one week, the government has been trying to grapple with tuber trouble: a glut of potatoes this year has had panicked farmers looking to the state to buy their produce.

This, because against the net sown area of 49,710 hectares last year, the acreage under potato shot up by 50 per cent to 75,000 hectares this year. Consequently, against a normal production of 12-14 lakh tonnes a year Gujarat saw a production of over 20 lakh tonnes of potatoes.

Eventually, the state government was forced to buy potatoes at Rs 4 per kg from farmers through the Civil Supplies Corporation and sell it to traders, the wholesale buying being conducted through the ruling party-controlled Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees.

8220;We thought of transferring the extra produce, but the logistics of arranging for transport, either through trucks or railway wagons, proved costlier. So we have now decided to incur the loss so that the farmers do not suffer,8221; says Agriculture Minister Dilip Sanghani.

Facing an Opposition onslaught, the government even sent official teams to Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad to find out if it could off-load the crop, but the logistics weren8217;t favourable.

The high yield of potatoes has been attributed to several reasons. While a good produce last year led to the farmers increasing the area under potato, an extended winter this year led to a better yield. Farmers were also encouraged by the presence of private companies offering a good price for the produce.

Says Vajesinh Parmar, a farmer in Vijapur, who quadrupled the area under potato from two acres in 2004 to eight acres this season: 8220;It was a good extended winter. Compared to an average of 10 tonnes per acre, I harvested 15 tonnes. But so did everyone else it seems,8221; he rues.

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On an average, farmers have lost Rs 10,000-15,000 per acre. Though no estimates are available yet, the total loss could run into a few hundred crores. 8220;Against the standard price of Rs 240 for a 60 kg bag, the going rate is Rs 150 per bag. So if a farmer produces 10 tonnes per acre, the loss translates to Rs 15,000 for 160-170 bags,8221; says Praful Sejalia, a farm leader associated with the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh.

Meanwhile, in cities like Gandhinagar, potatoes are selling for as less as Rs 2.5 per kg, even going down to Rs 1.5 per kg for smaller varieties. So vendors like Jetha Chaudhary go around residential areas without their trademark carts, taking orders before they deliver. 8220;I will bring the produce in my bullock-cart depending on how much is to be off loaded. Women are buying potatoes in maunds,8221; he says.