Low production of potato in UP and Bengal has improved profits for Gujarat

Potato farmers have had a windfall because of low production of potatoes in other states like UP and West Bengal. The potato farmers in Gujarat are getting better prices for their produce. As compared to the price of Rs5-6 per kg in 2015, local farmers are currently fetching Rs10 per kg in the wholesale markets basically due to lower production in other states.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 10 April 2016.

There has been a decline in production of the two top potato growing states namely, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The shortfall is of the order of 5% and 15% attributable to unfavorable weather conditions. Of course, the yield in Gujarat, too, has dipped by 10% this year, but, unlike other major states, Gujarat has managed to registered an increase in production on account of higher acreage. The potato output has, in fact, galloped substantially over the last two years.
At present, the production in an area of one lakh hectare was around 35 lakh tonnes as against 31 lakh tonnes of 2015 and 23 lakh tonnes in 2014.
Moreover, the cold storage capacity in Gujarat saw addition of approximately 6.25 lakh tonnes (1.25 crore bags of 50 kg each) and, therefore, farmers in Gujarat are able to reap the benefits. The wholesale prices had plummeted to Rs 5-6 per kg in Gujarat last year due to glut in the market but the prices have remained at Rs 10-13 per kg in 2016 which is a big relief.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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