Berhampur, April 26: The Ganjam district administration has started raiding godowns in a bid to curb potato price rise in the city.

“We have constituted three teams to keep a vigil on the prices of potatoes and asked both the wholesalers and the retailers to hang a price list in front of their godowns or shops from today onwards,” said sub-collector Bijay Kumar Das.

“We will verify the purchase rates of potato by the wholesalers from Bengal, the purchase deal between the wholesalers and the retailers and the prevailing retail price here,” said Das.

Ramkrushna Sahu, a potato wholesaler, said that in Berhampur, the demand of potato is between 20 and 400 quintals per day.

“Everyday, 12 truckloads of potato (17 tonnes in each) reach Berhampur from Bengal. The transportation of potato from Bengal to Berhampur has been hampered due to non-availability of trucks — which is, however, expected to be normal after elections in Bengal are over.”

“There is sufficient stock of potatoes at the cold storages in Odisha. One can store potato in a cold storage for a maximum period of 45 days, of which, 40 days have already elapsed. Situation could have been better had the farmers been agreed to sell the potatoes right away from the cold storages. The potato price will fall drastically once the cold storages are opened,” said Sahu.

At present, the potato price here is Rs 1,240 to Rs 1,340 per quintal in the wholesale market and Rs 15 to Rs 16 per kg in the retail market.

“The state government should consult its Bengal counterpart for a steady supply of potatoes throughout the year,” said a trader.

Potato, which was being sold at Rs 18 per kg prior to Friday, has now been priced at Rs 16 per kg, said Sashtri Nagar resident Raj Ballav Patnaik.

“Potato is an essential ingredient in our menu, and the government should keep a strict vigil over the market,” said home-maker Sandhya Mohanty.