Kolkata, Jan 29 (PTI) West Bengal Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Pradip Kumar Mazumdar on Monday rejected calls for forced auctions of excess potato stocks stored beyond November, citing social and practical concerns.
This decision comes amidst a dispute between potato growers and cold storage owners, as farmers often fail to clear their stocks by the November deadline, leading to extensions till January.
The West Bengal Cold Storage Association had previously advocated for government intervention to clear existing stocks and facilitate storage for the upcoming harvest (January-February), with some suggesting forced auctions.
Mazumdar emphasized that forced auctions by the government are neither practical nor feasible. He urged cold storage owners to devise solutions that accommodate both farmers and storage operators.
Furthermore, Mazumdar urged owners to reconsider their demands for higher storage tariffs, stressing the importance of a balanced approach that considers the interests of both growers and cold storage sustainability.
Speaking at the annual general meeting of the association, its president Rajesh Kumar Bansal requested the government to revise cold storage rent to Rs 190- Rs 194 per quintal, as recommended by an expert committee.
He highlighted that the state government has not revised the rent since 2016, leaving it significantly lower than neighboring states (Rs 230-270 per quintal).
Bansal also suggested calculating rent based on 85 per cent of storage capacity, acknowledging the impracticality of full utilisation.
Bansal underscored the substantial increase in potato cultivation this season (exceeding 4.6 lakh hectares) and estimated a total production of 110 lakh tonnes, surpassing the state’s domestic consumption of 65 lakh tonnes.
To ensure stable prices and consistent supply, he proposed a system for releasing stored potatoes at a uniform rate of 12% per month and incorporating charges for extended storage periods beyond November. PTI BSM MNB
About the Author
