Potato prices in WB has firmed up by ₹2-3/kg due to weather conditions
potato Prices have increased in major growing areas of Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal in the last one to two months on the back of erratic weather conditions affecting tuber release and high prices of green vegetables. However, on a year-over-year basis, prices are still on the decline compared to last year due to higher production this year.
Potato prices in West Bengal have increased by nearly $2,3 per kg in the past two months with wholesale prices of tubers (Jyoti variety) hovering around 16-17kg at present, up from around 13-14kg in late April. Prices in the retail market are about $26-27/kg.
According to trade sources, although production was higher this year, potato shooting was a bit sporadic in markets like Uttar Pradesh due to heavy rains. This has helped boost the demand for Bengali potatoes in neighboring states including Bihar and Assam as well as some southern states. Sources said prices were likely to remain steady at current levels.
It should be noted that although the prices started to notice a steady note as the tuber was bringing about 19-20 kg at the beginning of the season, it started to witness a significant decline later on.
The wholesale price of tubers in Uttar Pradesh is about 11-14 rupees per kg, which is three to five percent lower than in a normal year.
Potato prices are on the higher side as green vegetable prices have increased significantly. Rajesh Goyal, president of the Federation of Cold Storage Associations of India, said farmers come to cold storage to offload stock because they get better prices. Business line.
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West Bengal, which is the second largest potato producer after Uttar Pradesh, has seen production pick up this year. Although official estimates of the crop size in the state are expected to be closer to 130-140 lakh tons this year, the industry expects the crop to be slightly lower at around 100-110 lakh tons. This is nearly 29 per cent higher than last year’s production of around 85 lakh tons per annum and about 16 per cent higher than the country’s average production of around 95-100 lakh tons per annum.
UP production is likely to be close to 240,000 tons, according to official estimates.
“Prices had come down to ₹14 per kg earlier but now they are stable. The weather conditions were quite volatile with some places experiencing heavy rains and some places like West Bengal hardly any rain. This affected the release of potatoes from cold storage.
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Also, the prices of vegetables have crossed the border, which has helped stabilize potato prices to some extent. We expect prices to stabilize at current levels,” said Patit Baban De, member and former president of West Bengal Cold Storage Association.