India: Overproduction causing potato farmers distress
Due to the absence of cold stores, farmers in Odisha are being forced to sell their crop at lower prices to traders and middle men from outside states.
The state government’s publicized ’Potato Mission’ which aimed at making the state self-sufficient in potato production and storage over a period of 3 years, set a production target of 500,000 tonnes which resulted in high production. Truckloads of the tuber crop are being exported to Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Punjabstates from Odisha.Potato farmers are selling their produce for R12-13 per kilo to traders as there is no storage facilities and the potatoes will perish if they are not self quickly.The state government in 2014 had prepared a road map for potato cultivation in Koraput district. The government had set a target to produce 500,00 tonnes of potato by December this year and had emphasized on construction of cold store in the district. The idea for construction of cold store in the district is gathering dust in government files.“We cannot say that the Potato Mission in the district will not be affected till the time cold stores are set up in the district. It will be certainly affected. But we can certainly make it up with construction of cold stores,” said Lingaraj Acharya, deputy director Horticulture.
Fuente: http://www.freshplaza.com/article/149118/
