Bhubaneswar, Aug. 13: Having learnt a bitter lesson from the current potato crisis, the Odisha government today decided to maintain a buffer stock of the tuber from next year and sell it through the public distribution system (PDS) outlets to meet exigencies such as the present one.

Food and civil supplies minister Sanjay Das Burma said the state government today decided to keep a buffer stock of four lakh quintals of potatoes during the lean period of August-December from next year.

The present crisis arises out of potato shortage, mainly because Bengal government government imposed restrictions on movement of potato-laden trucks outside the state. The trucks were held up at the border and there was shortage of supply of the tuber in markets across the state. Odisha heavily depends on potato supply from neighbouring Bengal.

Das Burma reiterated that the crisis arose because of an “undeclared restriction” imposed by the Bengal government on potato supply to Odisha.

Agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy admitted that the state was heavily dependent on Bengal for its potato needs. “The domestic production meets only one fourth of the state’s total requirement. We depend upon West Bengal for around nine months in a year,” he said.

The state produced 2.01 lakh metric tonnes of potatoes in 2012-13 as against the demand of 9.27 lakh metric tonnes. During the next year, potato production was 2.50 lakh metric tonnes against the requirement of 11 lakh metric tonnes, said the minister.

Last year, the state had faced a severe crisis with potatoes selling at Rs 60 a kg in the retail market. This year too, the potato price ranges between Rs 24 and Rs 30 per kg following lack of supply in the market.

The state-owned Odisha State Cooperative Marketing Federation (Markfed) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Fedeeation (Nafed) will procure potatoes from the market. This stock will be stored in 11 cold storages — six being run by the cooperation department and five by private entrepreneurs — and will be sold through PDS outlets and “Maitree” fair price shops, said Das Burma.

Speaking on the present situation, the minister said there was adequate stock in the state to meet the crisis. During the last 24 hours, around 150 trucks from Bengal had entered the state, which would ease the situation.

“Till the situation stabilises, sale of potato at Rs 20 per kg through PDS outlets and fair price shops will continue,” he said.

The state government also constituted a taskforce to formulate a long-term action plan on potato cultivation, conservation and distribution. The taskforce, headed by agriculture secretary Rajesh Verma, will have secretaries of food supplies and consumer welfare and cooperation departments as members. It has been asked to submit its report within 30 days.

Agriculture minister Maharathy said farmers were not keen on potato cultivation due to the absence of cold storages in the state.

“Our government has announced 75 per cent subsidy for the entrepreneurs who want to set up cold storages in undivided Koraput-Balangir-Koraput (KBK) districts and 60 per cent for those in the coastal areas. But the entrepreneurs are not keen as the cold storages are high electricity consuming units. I have discussed this issue with our chief minister and suggested that power tariff for the cold storages should be reduced,” he said.

Director, horticulture has been asked to submit an action plan for the revival of 12 cold storages under cooperation department, which are not in running condition at present.