BHUBANESWAR: Finding no other way to resolve the ongoing potato crisis arising out of restriction imposed on supply by the West Bengal government, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi spoke to his Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee for the second time on Sunday.
Majhi told the West Bengal CM that normalcy in potato supply was restored after his discussion with her in New Delhi. However, the state encountered the problem again a few days later. He requested immediate intervention of his WB counterpart to normalise potato supply and Banerjee assured to take appropriate steps to resolve the issue, said the chief minister’s office (CMO) here.
The chief minister had taken up the matter with his West Bengal counterpart after the governing council meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi on July 27.
Majhi dialled the West Bengal chief minister hours after the administration in the neighbouring state installed CCTV cameras along its border to check the movement of potato laden trucks entering Odisha through alternate routes.
However, despite restriction on transportation from the WB government, about 25 truckloads of the tuber arrived at Aiginia, the major vegetable stockyard of the city.
“Potato supply from West Bengal is more than double and there is sufficient stock in major markets of the state. The wholesale price in the city is Rs 2,500 per quintal. Ideally the retail price should be Rs 30-35 a kg. If any retail trader is selling at a price higher than this, then it is the failure of market intelligence and enforcement wing of the supply department,” said Shakti Shankar Mishra, secretary of Kuberpuri Byabasayi Sangha at Aiginia. The state government’s decision to go for market intervention with the help of NAFED is stated to have not gone well with wholesale traders as they were not taken into confidence before the move.
“We were sure that the piecemeal approach of the state government to procure potato from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab without proper homework was nothing but an attempt to get cheap mileage. Had the government been serious about resolving the crisis, it could have sent either Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister KC Patra or deputed an official team to discuss the issue with WB government. The matter could have been resolved by now. The supply minister aggravated the situation by making uncalled for statements,” said a trade leader.
The state has been witnessing potato crisis since mid-July after West Bengal imposed restriction on supply to Odisha and North-Eastern states to reduce prices in their domestic markets.