The West Bengal government has stepped up procurement of potatoes at a support price to prevent distress sales, offering relief to farmers amid a sharp fall in market rates due to record production.

The state has set a target to procure 12 lakh metric tonnes of potatoes. Under the supervision of cold storage authorities and following quality checks, the Agricultural Marketing Department is purchasing potatoes at Rs. 950 per quintal, or Rs. 475 per 50 kg bag.

Officials said procurement continued on Saturday across several blocks, including Dhanekhali, Haripal, Singur, and Balagarh.

Farmers get relief amid price crash

Farmers said potato prices had dropped to Rs. 6-7 per kg in fields this season, with little demand. This led to widespread distress, with reports of potatoes being dumped on roads in areas like Goghat, Arambagh, and Tarakeswar.

With government procurement beginning earlier this month, many farmers said they are now able to recover costs. Potato farmer Srikanta Ghosh said, "The government has purchased 70 bags of potatoes at the support price of Rs. 475 per bag. This will stop our distress sales. Cooperative loans will also be repaid."

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Another farmer, Ananda Santra, said, "There has been a record yield of all varieties of potatoes this year. I have benefited by selling 70 bags of Jyoti potatoes to the government at support prices."

This year's production is estimated at around 1.3 lakh metric tonnes, with high-yielding varieties like Hemangini and Colombo grown widely across key regions.

Politicians react on crisis

Trader bodies welcomed the move. Lalu Mukhopadhyay of the Progressive Potato Traders' Association said, "We welcome the initiative by which the government is directly purchasing potatoes from farmers at support prices. Genuine farmers are getting the opportunity to sell potatoes at support prices. Some people are doing politics with potatoes."

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However, protests have continued in some areas. CPI(ML) Liberation candidate Ruma Aheri staged a demonstration on Saturday, alleging farmers are still not receiving fair prices. She criticised both the central and state governments over farmer distress and rising input costs.

Agricultural Marketing Minister Becharam Manna said, "Record potato yields have been happening for the past few years. That was brought to the government's attention. The process of purchasing potatoes at support prices that the government started even before the election announcement is continuing."

The procurement drive remains ongoing as the state seeks to stabilise prices and support farmers.