Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has highlighted challenges in the supply of key vegetables like potatoes and onions in Bengal, attributing rising prices to exports exceeding the state's demand. The state's leadership has pledged to monitor the outflow of these commodities closely, ensuring local needs are prioritized before permitting exports.
During a review meeting, Banerjee expressed concern over the premature export of the potato crop, emphasizing the importance of meeting Bengal's own demand first. As a leading potato producer alongside Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Bengal has faced delays in the arrival of the new crop due to unseasonal rains and Cyclone Dana, causing a spike in prices for the existing stock in cold storage.
In Calcutta's retail market, the Jyoti variety of potatoes was priced at $0.41-$0.42 per kilo, while Chandramukhi sold for $0.46-$0.48 per kilo—a notable increase ahead of the new harvest expected by mid-December. The state government has been striving to reduce prices below $0.36 per kilo since July, so far without success.
Banerjee criticized the justification of price hikes in Bengal by comparing them to similar trends in other states, stressing the state's significant production of rice and potatoes. She insisted that Bengal's demand be satisfied before allowing the movement of potatoes to other regions.
The chief minister also addressed the onion market, noting Bengal's dependency on supplies from Nashik and other regions due to limited local production. With Bengal's annual onion requirement at around 1 million tons, the export of a significant portion of the stock has come under scrutiny, particularly following Bangladesh's decision to waive import duties on onions, which has encouraged traders to focus on exports.
Banerjee called for action against the export of 50% of the state's onion stock and criticized middlemen in the agriculture sector for exploiting the situation. Onions were reported to sell at $0.84-$0.87 per kilo, slightly down from $0.90 two weeks earlier, amid these ongoing challenges.
Source: The Telegraph Online