Punjab faces potato glut again

The efforts of the state Government agency,Markfed,to export potato to tide over the problem of glut didn’t help the growers at all. For,any prospect of exporting the produce to Pakistan was sealed with that country deciding to levy a heavy import duty of 25 per cent on potato from India. Exports through Attari land route had been viable so far,as it involved less transportation costs.

The area under potato cultivation in Punjab was around 80,000 hectares this season. And if officials and farmers are to be believed,the same is likely to come down by at least 25 per cent in the coming season.

The growers are blaming the state Government for the fiasco. “The Government should make a forecast of the area under potato cultivation for the period when the crop is sown. On the lines of the practice in some foreign countries,the Government should go in for satellite imaging and give fortnightly updates about the sown area,” said Sukhjit Bhatti,chief,Confederation of Potato Seed Farmers (POSCON).

“This would enable farmers to work out other options right from the beginning,” added Bhatti.

“Instead of making delayed and futile efforts now,the Government should have explored the option of export as soon as it became clear that there would be a bumper crop. Besides helping the farmers,it would have also earned foreign currency for the country,” said Tejpal Singh,a law graduate who is a full-time farmer at Harnam Singh Wala village in Bathinda.

“While the government pushes for crop diversification,it fails to take steps that will give impetus to diversification initiatives. I will now prefer growing wheat and paddy,” added Tejpal,who grew potato crop on 50 acres in the current season.

Tejpal is not alone in the potato growing belt of Rampura in Bathinda district — which grew the crop on 3,300 hectares this season — to have decided to grow less potato next season. Scores of other farmers are set to follow suit.

“I will reduce the area under potato cultivation by at least 25 per cent and grow wheat on the same land,” said Harcharan Singh of Kararwala village,who cultivated potato on 210 acres this season. “While I understand that potato is a perishable item and hence its MSP cannot be fixed,the Government can always take initiatives for its proper marketing,” said Harcharan,adding that the export potential of the crop should have been exploited in advance. “The potato growers are fed up of huge losses.”

POSCON chief Bhatti also claimed that the freight subsidy of Rs 400 (intra-state) and Rs 1,500 (for exports) per tonne of potato as announced by the government was “too little”.

“Our job is to focus on production. It is the responsibility of the Punjab Mandi Board and agencies like Markfed to ensure that no situation of glut arose,” said Punjab Horticulture Director Dr Baldev Singh.