West Bengal starts selling procured potatoes to traders

KOLKATA - West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta said the state has started selling procured potato by government agencies to traders from Friday to offload excess stocks.

Output in Indias second largest potato growing state is reported to have doubled this year to touch almost 10 million tonnes.

“Following bumper production we had procured 9.7 lakh tonnes of potato from farmers at Rs.3.5 per kg. We have decided to sell half of it through public distribution system and remaining could be lifted by the traders at Rs.4 per kg. We have started selling to the traders,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting organised by the Merchants Chamber of Commerce here.

A bulk of potatoes from the state is ferried to the northeast, Orissa and the southern states of the country.