Surplus problem

Sept. 17: Potato merchants in north Bengal said the state-set limit of allowing a maximum export of 1,000 tonnes of the tuber daily would make a huge quantity rot in godowns, leading to heavy losses.

“Around 3 lakh tonnes of potatoes are stored in the cold storages across north Bengal. We supply potatoes in markets in the region as well as export them outside the state, particularly the Northeast,” a potato merchant based in Dhupguri, said.

“At a meeting held in Jalpaiguri last Sunday, it was decided that we would be able to export 1,000 metric tonnes of potatoes outside the state but will have to supply 200 tonnes in the local markets of north Bengal.” This rider, the merchant elaborated, has led to a problem.

“We have been insisting that there is adequate stock of potatoes to feed the local market and that we should be a given free hand to export it outside the state. But due to the state’s restriction, we can sell only 1,200 tonnes (1,000 tonnes outside the state and 200 tonnes to the state) every day,” he added.

According to him, the existing stock of potatoes should be taken out of the cold storages latest by mid-November. The new harvest of potatoes, which would start coming to the market from October, has to be stocked in these cold storages.

“Every year, the cold storages are vacated by October 31, after which, they are cleaned to prepare the godowns for storing the next harvest. Even if we consider November 15 as the cut off date by which the existing stock should be vacated, we cannot sell the entire stock of 3 lakh tonnes unless the government restriction is withdrawn,” the merchant said.

If the restriction remains in force till November 15, the daily sale of 1,200 tonnes means around 72,000 tonnes would be used from the stock of 3 lakh tonnes.

“If we add another 60,000 tonnes, which are used as seeds for future harvests, we would still have an additional 1.60 lakh tonnes left in the storages,” he added.

Tushar Mondal, an executive member of Uttarbanga Alu Byabsayee Samiti, said they have taken up the issue with cold storage owners. “It would mean a huge loss to us. We would urge the cold storage owners to extend the last date of clearing the stock from October 31 to November 30,” Mondal said this evening. “It is evident that we would not be in a position to get the entire stock out by October 31.”