Potato Procurement: Odisha to Increase Potato Procurement from UP | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Odisha on Tuesday decided to increase procurement of potato from UP to meet the demand in state.
“The import of potato from UP will be expedited in days to come. Potatoes from UP are available in markets of Odisha. The state govt is taking steps for smooth supply of potato and to also reduce over-dependence on West Bengal,” said food supplies and consumer welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra, after an emergency meeting between the govt, senior officials of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), representatives of traders association, owners of cold storage units and retailers.
“Reports of price rise of potato to Rs 45 or Rs 50 a kg is false and baseless. Our officials are keeping a close watch on the market and stringent action will be taken against anyone found selling at a higher price,” Patra said. He said govt is planning to import potato through NAFED.
Traders said the supply from West Bengal has been stopped for the last few days and delay in the arrival of potatoes from UP may lead to shortage in the market in next couple of days.
“There are around 17,000 tonnes of potatoes in different cold storages in the state, which will meet the requirement for the next three days. If potato trucks from UP do not arrive in the next three days, then there will be a crisis,” said Sudhakar panda, secretary of Odisha Traders Association.
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