CHANDIGARH: It is just not onions that are being sold at around Rs 3 per kg in Maharashtra, the prices of potatos have also spiralled down in Punjab. The rate of table potatoes has crashed between 60 to 75 per cent this year as the farmers are selling it for around Rs 4 per kg against the wholesale price of Rs 10 to 12 per kg last year coupled with no demand from other states. Thus, now the potato farmers are demanding freight subsidy or that they be allowed to export potatoes to Pakistan in order to cover up their losses.
As agriculture being the mainstay of the state’s economy in the budget presented yesterday, a lot of emphases has been laid on giving a boost to put the state’s agrarian economy on a high growth trajectory and new agriculture poly on cards. The government is trying to go in for crop diversification, and giving a major boost to the development of horticulture.
While presenting the state budget, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema yesterday said, “Our Government proposes to introduce a ‘New Agricultural Policy’ with the objective to conserve natural resources and increase farmers’ income, a committee of experts already constituted in this regard.’’
This season, the farmer is getting a rate of Rs 350 per quintal this year as against Rs 1,500 per quintal last year for normal crop and for premium varieties Rs 550 per quintal against Rs 1,800 per quintal last year.
Farmers said that the prices have crashed because the yield of potatoes is very high across all potato-growing states of the country this season thus, the order for seed potatoes is quite low at the moment.