Bhubaneswar: With West Bengal once again stopping supply of potatoes, the Odisha government on Saturday said it has decided not to procure the tuber anymore from the neighbouring state.
Irked over repeated disruptions of potato supply by West Bengal, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra told reporters that Odisha will not procure potato from the neighbouring state.
“We are not going to make any request to them (West Bengal) for supply of potato. If they send potato on their own, it will be accepted … we will not ask for it anymore,” the Minister said.
Dismissing reports about potato crisis in Odisha, Patra said there is no shortage of stock in the stat as potato is being procured from Uttar Pradesh at a cost of Rs 22 per kg excluding transport charge of Rs 4.
Stating that West Bengal is not the only potato-producing state, he said there are other states which are ready to send potato to Odisha. The state government has approached Punjab for potatoes, he said
The Minister also denied that there has been rise in the price of potato in the state following stoppage of supply from West Bengal. “The price of potato has not gone up. Action will be taken against traders if they sell potato at high rate,” he said.
