India: Potato prices in Bengal likely to ease to Rs 20-21/kg this week

Published 2024년 4월 1일

Tridge summary

In Kolkata, the price of the 'Jyoti' variety of potatoes has seen a significant increase of 30-40% to Rs 24-25 per kg in the past two weeks, primarily due to a lower crop yield and a labor shortage during the Holi holidays. The 'Chandramukhi' variety is now priced at Rs 30. This surge is attributed to an acute labor shortage and some crop losses caused by unexpected rain. Despite a 10% predicted drop in potato production this year and a decrease in cold storage loading from 88-89% last year to 70-75% currently, prices are expected to fall to Rs 20-21 per kg within a week as laborers return and the market stabilizes, according to the West Bengal Vendors’ Association and the West Bengal Cold Storage Association.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Kolkata, Apr 1 (PTI) Potato prices, which soared by 30-40 per cent to Rs 24-25 for the ‘Jyoti’ variety in the last fortnight due to reasons like lower crop yield and shortage of labourers during Holi holidays, are expected to ease to Rs 20-21 a kg in a week, according to an official. ‘Jyoti’ and its variants are mass-selling varieties, while the premium ‘Chandramukhi’ variety rose to Rs 30. It is commonly understood that during elections, traders have to contribute donations to political parties, which are then passed on to customers. Industry officials, however, ruled out this rationale. “I think from next week onward, the price of potatoes should gradually go down to Rs 20-21 a kg. There had been an acute shortage of labourers due to the Holi holidays, and there had been some loss of crops due to sudden rain, which led to the rise,” West Bengal Vendors’ Association president Kamal Dey told PTI. He said that 80 per cent of the labourers needed for loading and unloading are ...

Source: Theprint