File picture of a vendor selling potato in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 5: The price of potato continues to skyrocket following the trend of most other vegetables.

The prices have been hovering around Rs 30 in the city’s largest wholesale market at Unit-I for the past seven days. This has raised the rates at other places in the city to almost Rs 40 a kg.

The centralised permit system introduced in Bengal has affected potato supply to the state and has pushed up the price.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today stepped in to ensure smooth supply of potatoes from Bengal. Naveen spoke to his Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee, who has assured him of smooth supply of potato.

This has put people, who prefer vegetarian food in the auspicious month of Kartik, in severe inconvenience.

“We cannot have non-vegetarian food during the holy month of Kartik. But the vegetable prices have been too high for past two weeks, making it very difficult for us to prepare vegetarian items. To add to our woes, the rate of the most popular vegetable, potato, has also gone up. It has almost doubled in one week. It hurts us a lot,” said Smitarani Behera, a homemaker in Palasuni.

Potato prices have been fluctuating for the past one month. While panic of consumers created artificial shortage and subsequent price hike of vegetables during cyclone. Later, the rate came down to Rs 10 to Rs 12 a kg. However, the flood triggered by torrential rain put pushed the vegetable prices again.

“Earlier, we used to skip many vegetables because of the high prices. But now, we are forced to buy only potato. I get confused everyday about what to cook for lunch or dinner. It has caused a headache as we have reduced the number of dishes in the holy month of Kartik,” said Alibha Singh, a homemaker.

The price rise has not only affected the kitchens at home, but also the various hotels and restaurants in the city.

The hotel and restaurant owners are forced to either raise the rate of the items or reduce quantity.

“People argue with us for rise in price of our dishes. But, we are helpless as the price rise affects us badly. The government should take some steps to put a check on the uncontrolled rise in vegetable price,” said Krupasindhu Bhoi, a roadside eatery owner.

Even vendors selling gupchup, alu chop and alu dum, who depend heavily on potato, have also reduced the quantity of their items owing to the price rise.

Officials of the civil supplies department today visited various godowns and stock centres of potato and other vegetables to check hoarding. They checked the quantity of stocks, rate of potato and ensured that the rate did not go up further.

“We visited these godowns to ensure that the prices will not rise. We instructed the traders in this regard,” said Pravakar Rout, deputy director of civil supplies department.

Sources said that 350 to 400 truckloads of potato come to the state from Bengal every day. But the Bengal government has put restriction on the supply, making it mandatory for traders to obtain permits for transporting potato to their state, which takes five to six days. Many trucks have been detained on the inter-state borders because of this.

Though around 25 truckloads of potato are needed daily for Bhubaneswar and its surrounding areas, only 8 trucks have arrived today.