Bhubaneswar, Aug 07: To address the potato crisis in Odisha, the state government is procuring tubers from Uttar Pradesh. The crisis has intensified due to the erratic supply of potatoes from West Bengal, according to an official.
Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister, KC Patra, stated that normalcy is expected to return within two to three days once a sufficient quantity of potatoes arrives from Uttar Pradesh.
Considering the current market situation, the Odisha government is also planning to procure potatoes from Punjab to enhance supplies and reduce prices, the minister added.
During a meeting with representatives from traders’ associations, cold storage unit owners, and retailers on Tuesday evening, Patra announced the decision to increase the procurement of potatoes from Uttar Pradesh.
He claimed that potatoes are available in the market at around Rs 35 per kg, dismissing reports of prices being Rs 40-50 per kg as false and baseless.
So far, Odisha has procured 140 truckloads of potatoes from Uttar Pradesh. However, Sudhakar Panda, Secretary of the Odisha Traders Mahasangh, mentioned that people in Odisha do not prefer potatoes from Uttar Pradesh due to their sweet taste, resulting in traders' reluctance to procure them.
