Bhubaneswar: Odisha is staring at a potato crisis as several godowns are running dry, having exhausted their stocks. Even as consumers feel the pinch of rising price, food supplies and consumer welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra assured the situation would improve in the next few days as trucks from Uttar Pradesh reach the state on Monday.
"As many as 300 trucks of potatoes from Uttar Pradesh will arrive in the state by Monday, which will help in managing the crisis. We have formed a task force to check overpricing, hoarding, and black marketing of potatoes in the state. Any vendor or trader found selling at a higher price will be booked, the minister said.
Odisha Byabasayee Sangha secretary Sudhakar Panda, though, sounded worried about the depleting stock. "There is no stock of potatoes in Odisha. On Sunday, a few trucks carrying potatoes reached from Uttar Pradesh, but it will not be adequate to meet the demands," said Panda.
With the West Bengal govt imposing restrictions on the supply of potatoes to Odisha, several potato-laden trucks are still stranded on the border, leading to a jump in potato price from Rs 33-35/kg to Rs 50 /kg in the last couple of days.
"As per reports, there are around 7 lakh metric tonnes of potatoes in West Bengal. Keeping 5 lakh tonnes for their consumption, they can give us the remaining 2 lakh metric tonnes. But they have stopped trucks coming to Odisha. We are a democratic country. Some states produce more rice, some states produce more onions, and some states produce other vegetables and crops. Every state has its own dominance in something and may lack in other items. We are all dependent on each other," Panda said.
On the streets in homes, vendors and consumers are feeling the crisis. "My business is based on potatoes, and with the sudden increase in prices, it has seriously affected my profit. I cannot increase the price of the food I serve, nor can I reduce the quantity of servings. If this situation continues, then I will be forced to stop running my business," said Rabi Nayak, a dahibara-aludam seller.
Gupchup, chat, aluchop and samosa sellers shared similar views as their businesses have been adversely affected by the price rise.
Potato vendors expressed their concern about the shortage. "Whatever supply I had, I sold today. The wholesale price has increased substantially. If the govt does not intervene immediately, the situation may become worse," said Surya Narayan Pradhan, a potato seller in the Unit-III area.