Potato Wholesalers To Be Arrested For Excess Hoarding: Minister

Bhubaneswar: With potato pice gradually shooting up in Odisha, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister Surya Narayan Patro on Wednesday ordered for arrest of wholesalers found hoarding excess quantity of the tuber.

The department concerned, in a letter, has asked supply officials and all district collectors to take necessary measures against potatoes being sold on the black market and arrest wholesalers for violation of the rules under the Essential Commodities Act.

“Stern action would be taken against the wholesale traders if they are found hoarding potatoes beyond the prescribed limit,” Patro said.

Talking about the stock limit of potatoes as fixed by his department, Patra said the wholesale traders in Cuttack can keep a maximum 500 quintals of potatoes and those in Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Puri, Sambalpur and Rourkela, 350 quintals. “The limit in the remaining places in the state is 150 quintals,” he added.

Besides, specific instructions have been given to collectors of the bordering districts to ensure smooth transport of potato to Odisha from the neighbouring states so that the consumers can get the tuber at a comparatively cheaper rate, the minister pointed out.

Asked whether the price of potato can come down further, the minister said there is no immediate possibility. “The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.(NAFED) has fixed the price of potato at Rs 16 per kg which is equivalent to the market price in Bhubaneswar,” he informed.

Patro had earlier told the media that as against the annual requirement of 12.5 lakh metric tonnes of potato, only three lakh metric tonnes of potatoes have been harvested in Odisha this year, forcing the state government to procure potato from West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.

Since the harvesting in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh this year has been severely affected due to unseasonal rainfall, the price of potato has steeply gone up in Odisha due to short supply, he had added.