India: Potato prices may soar, high temperature to blame

This time in the absence of adequate stock to meet the demand of consumers and also of farmers who need potato for seeding purpose, the prices are increasing.

Generally, the new potato crop hits the market in the mid of November, but this time due to high temperature in August-September, about 50 per cent of the advance varieties sown in the last week of August either did not germinate or perished. Moreover, it had further increased the demand for potato as seed, said Rajinder Kumar, manager at a cold store in Faridkot.

After incurring losses in the last three seasons, potato growers had reduced the area under the crop sizably last season. Market experts believe that the reduction in the area under potato cultivation and unfavorable weather conditions in January had resulted in increased potato prices this season. The unseasonal rain in January had led to extensive loss to potato crop this year.