Irked with the artificial crisis and low supply of potato in the State, the Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) has decided to write to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to end the stalemate.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the FJCCI officials, who refuted the decision of West Bengal Government and appealed to take back the decision of stopping supply of potato to other States including Jharkhand. The WB Government has instructed the secretary of Agriculture Bazar Samiti, West Bengal to stop the supply of potato outside West Bengal.
Discussing on other business and especially on the condition and price of potatoes in Ranchi, FJCCI decided to take initiatives in context to unwanted price hike and less supply of potatoes from West-Bengal, as more than 90 per cent of potato supply is from Bengal.
While discussing and taking decision on the topic the chamber officials made contact with the Secretary of Bharat Chamber of Commerce (Kolkata), Keka Sharma and informed her about the condition, while talking to Sharma chamber officials reviewed the situation of the Bengal government. Sharma revealed that the government has passed the order through the notification of West Bengal Governor to which she would not support. She also assured FJCCI members to avail the copy of the notification soon.
Potato prices have jumped three times in Jharkhand. The rates of potatoes in Jharkhand were about Rupees Seven per Kg and within 20 days it has jumped up-to Rs. 20 to Rs. 22 per Kg in wholesale markets.
A shopkeeper of Pandra Bazar Samiti, Ranchi Ajay said that the condition has gone out of their control. He revealed that the 90 per cent of the potato supply is from West- Bengal and despite ban on the supply of potato from Bengal, if any transporter tries to cross the Bengal border with potato loaded truck, he is stopped by police and is demanded hefty amount of bribe which results in unwanted price hike here.
The president of Pandra Bazar Samiti, Anil Kumar said that looking at the crisis of potatoes which affects both the consumers as well as the shopkeepers, samiti had made contact with FJCCI to take a step forward to solve the issue. Kumar also said that the FJCCI has told them that they had already informed CM Hemant Soren, Agriculture Minister Yogendra Sao, Agriculture Secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni and other senior officials about the situation through letter.
Secretary Agriculture Nitin Madan Kulkarni said that the chamber officials had informed about the situation of the market but without any proper notification how the authorities can take any action. “Despite all these we all know the condition even the Jharkhand Government knows the condition but the chamber officials have not produced any kind of notification by the West Bengal government,” the Secretary said.