Palanpur: A spectre of having to dump tonnes and tonnes of potatoes as soon as again looms large on farmers in Banaskantha, the very best manufacturer of the tuber crop in Gujarat.
Even as harvesting of potatoes has picked up tempo, a huge stock continues to be mendacity within the chilly storages, particularly in Deesa — the ‘potato bowl’ of the state.
According to assets, just about 10 lakh luggage (every containing 50kg potatoes) are mendacity in just about 200 chilly storages with farmers finding no patrons. The recent stock has already began arriving within the markets. The glut has despatched prices of the tuber crop crashing and closing week it was once being sold for as little as Re 1 per kg. On Wednesday, the prices progressed relatively, however settled at Rs 6 per kg, said Sukhdeo Gehlot of the Cold Storage Owners Association in Deesa.
“If the same position persists, the stock might not be cleared by the second one week of this month and costs will plummet additional. Farmers will don't have any alternative however to copy what they have been doing as a mark of protest — unload the stock on the roads or donate to livestock sheds (gaushala).
The upcountry advices also are no longer encouraging for the native farmers and buyers who're under heavy debt. Potato growing states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab Haryana. Bengal, Rajasthan and others too have had a bumper crop this 12 months.
“The demand from potential patrons in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra has slumped within the closing fortnight and charges have crashed to Rs 700 a quintal. It now barely fetches Rs 200 to Rs 400 per bag,” said Ganpat Kachhwa, an association member.
However, the agriculture division feels that the total cultivation of the crop has no longer been at par with 2018 when it was once sown in 78,100 hectare. This 12 months, the sowing has been done in 68,143 hectare only.
Deputy director of agriculture P Okay Patel attributed the decrease in potato sowing area to scanty rainfall and farmers who prefer to grow fodder for his or her livestock.
Even as harvesting of potatoes has picked up tempo, a huge stock continues to be mendacity within the chilly storages, particularly in Deesa — the ‘potato bowl’ of the state.
According to assets, just about 10 lakh luggage (every containing 50kg potatoes) are mendacity in just about 200 chilly storages with farmers finding no patrons. The recent stock has already began arriving within the markets. The glut has despatched prices of the tuber crop crashing and closing week it was once being sold for as little as Re 1 per kg. On Wednesday, the prices progressed relatively, however settled at Rs 6 per kg, said Sukhdeo Gehlot of the Cold Storage Owners Association in Deesa.
“If the same position persists, the stock might not be cleared by the second one week of this month and costs will plummet additional. Farmers will don't have any alternative however to copy what they have been doing as a mark of protest — unload the stock on the roads or donate to livestock sheds (gaushala).
The upcountry advices also are no longer encouraging for the native farmers and buyers who're under heavy debt. Potato growing states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab Haryana. Bengal, Rajasthan and others too have had a bumper crop this 12 months.
“The demand from potential patrons in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra has slumped within the closing fortnight and charges have crashed to Rs 700 a quintal. It now barely fetches Rs 200 to Rs 400 per bag,” said Ganpat Kachhwa, an association member.
However, the agriculture division feels that the total cultivation of the crop has no longer been at par with 2018 when it was once sown in 78,100 hectare. This 12 months, the sowing has been done in 68,143 hectare only.
Deputy director of agriculture P Okay Patel attributed the decrease in potato sowing area to scanty rainfall and farmers who prefer to grow fodder for his or her livestock.
Another year of potato glut looms over farmers in Banaskantha
![Another year of potato glut looms over farmers in Banaskantha]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
January 11, 2019
Rating:
