Facing “mounting” losses due to plummeting potato prices, growers in Punjab on Monday demanded a minimum support price (MSP) for the vegetable and freight subsidy for its transportation to export markets. They are demanding Rs six per kg (Rs 600 per quintal) as MSP for potato to recover input costs. Potato in Punjab, at present, is fetching Rs 1.5 to Rs two per kg as against Rs 10-12 per kg in the corresponding period of the last year, growers said.
They attributed “rock bottom” prices to oversupply of potato across the country. It only adds to the woes of farmers who are already battling crop losses caused by untimely rain and hailstorm. Although SAD-BJP government has assured full support to growers, farmers have threatened to throw crop on road, a repeat of 2011 incident when growers dumped potatoes on road in Jalandhar. last summer, growers had got Rs 20-22 per kg when retail prices soared, forcing the Centre to impose stock holding limit on potato crop.
“We want from the government to fix MSP for potato as being fixed for wheat and paddy crops so that growers are assured of minimum prices to avert such kind of situation,” said a potato grower Sukhjit Singh Bhatti. Farmers, this season, are suffering heavy losses because of prices plummeted to lowest level as there is a surplus crop across the country including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Bhatti said. Cold storage owners are also refusing to store the crop, anticipating that farmers would not pick crop in the wake of lesser prices. “Where will the farmers keep their crop as they are not finding place in cold storages as well. They will throw it on road certainly,” Bhatti said.
“Against an input cost of Rs 60,000 an acre, farmers are not even able to recover Rs 30,000 an acre with current prices,” said another potato grower. “Because of good prices last year, area under potato grew that led to about 15-20 per cent increase in overall output,” said Bhatti, who is also the president of Confederation of Potato Seed Farmers. Finding export opportunities for potato, grower have also demanded freight subsidy on its export to countries like Russia, Malaysia, Mauritius.
“Freight subsidy of Rs four per kg at least should be given to growers so as to sell it in domestic as well export markets,” Bhatti said. “Pakistan was a good market for growers last year. But this year, Pakistan has also bumper crop, therefore, there is no opportunity to export it to neighbouring country,” he said.