JAGATSINGHPUR: Potato farmers of the coastal district have demanded setting up of more cold stores. They alleged that the much-hyped Potato Mission launched in 2014 had failed in the district due to lack of cold stores. Farmers alleged that the lack of storage facilities had hit potato production in the district. There were two cold stores at Jagatsinghpur and Raghunathpur. The cold store run by co-operative society at Jagatsinghpur has been lying defunct for the past 23 years. Another private cold store at Raghunathpur is not functioning due to financial crisis. As a result, farmers in the district were not taking interest in potato farming. Moreover, there was no market linkage for the crop, they said.
Earlier, following suggestions put forth by former Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Board Surendra Nayak, the district administration had sent a proposal to the State Government regarding renovation of defunct cold stores in 2013. The Government had then decided to renovate the cold store at Jagatsinghpur on PPP mode. But, even after five years, nothing has been done to provide storage facilities for the crops.
Though Horticulture department convinced local farmers to cultivate potato in large scale, they refrained from farming due to lack of proper infrastructure and market linkage. Paddy is being cultivated over 86,850 hectares (ha) every year in the district, while only 8.7 ha is used for potato cultivation. Experts predicted that this year, the price of potato might shoot up in the district. Scores of farmers in Jagatsinghpur, Biridi, Raghunathpur, Tirtol, Balikuda and Nauagon used to grow potatoes on banks of Mahanadi, Paika, Devi and Subarnarekha rivers.
When contacted, Assistant Director of Horticulture Mihir Samantray said Potato Mission was completed in March and the department is waiting for the decision of the Government to chalk out plan for potato cultivation in the upcoming season. “No private entrepreneur is interested to set up cold store. Thus, the construction of cold store has not yet started in the district,” he added.Protesting over the issue, farmers recently staged demonstration in front of the Collectorate. They called off the four-day stir after higher officials from the district assured them of providing proper storage facilities.