Bumper potatoes spell doom

What could have been a perfectly happy moment for Punjab’s farmers has turned into a nightmare. The bumper potato crop this year is rotting as there are no takers.

Farmers threw tonnes of potatoes as a mark of protest last week as the government is clueless how to deal with the situation. Agriculture department officials said potato prices crashed to a seven-year low at Rs1.5 to Rs2 per kg because of the bumper production. Instead of earning a profit from the crop, potato growers are paying from their pockets to sell the produce. While 50kg of potatoes fetch between Rs40 and Rs60, a farmer has to spend Rs55 a quintal on picking, packing and marketing it, said an official.

Director (horticulture) Baldev Singh said over 77,000 hectares were under potato cultivation. This year, the state produced over 18 lakh MT of potatoes, about 5 lakh MT more than normal. Singh said the government may buy the crop from farmers. “We’re yet to make a decision,” he said.

Farmers’ organisations said the government should facilitate export of potatoes and fix a minimum support price. A farmer said UP had fixed Rs300 per quintal as state procurement price for potatoes and given 25% transportation subsidy. “In Punjab, farmers have been offered Rs25 per quintal for transport of potatoes, which is a joke,” said HS Rajewal. 

Markfed (Punjab agriculture marketing federation) has offered Rs250 per tonne as freight subsidy to farmers for inter-state movement of the crop and Rs1,000 per tonne as freight subsidy for exports. Markfed MD GS Grewal said the federation would need Rs5.2 crore to cover the subsidy.

Agricultural minister Sucha Singh Langah, however, blamed the farmers for their plight. He said farmers had suffered losses due to poor marketing strategies. He said farmers, who had updated their knowledge had not incurred any loss.