Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government may procure potatoes from Punjab to improve supplies and reduce prices of the tuber, a minister said.
The price of potatoes continued to remain high at Rs 45 a kg even after procurement from Uttar Pradesh, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra told reporters.
The price of the tuber has increased in Odisha due to “inadequate” supply from neighbouring West Bengal.
“We are now procuring potatoes from Uttar Pradesh. If needed, we will import from Punjab,” Patra said.
The minister denied the allegation that the potatoes from UP are not as good as West Bengal.
“It is not true that the potatoes from Uttar Pradesh are not of good quality. The UP potatoes are much better than that of Bengal and the price difference due to transportation costs is also Rs 1. Odisha can procure the tuber from any other state, including Punjab, to meet its demand,” the minister said Monday.
Potatoes from both UP and West Bengal continued to sell at Rs 40 a kilogram in Chhatra Bazar, a major wholesale market in Cuttack Monday.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had recently met his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee in New Delhi and requested her to streamline potato supply to the state.
However, the price continued to remain high in Odisha markets due to the “erratic supply of potatoes from West Bengal”, sources said.
PTI