Guwahati, August 9 /–/ Amidst reports of restricted movement of potatoes into the Northeastern region, the Assam government is closely monitoring the situation to ensure that the market price of potatoes remains reasonable to consumers across the state and in the rest of the Northeastern region.
A meeting in this regard was convened by the state minister of food, civil supplies and consumer affairs, Ranjeet Kumar Dass with the representatives of the Potato Traders’ Association here on Friday.
Notably, Assam chief secretary Ravi Kota had taken up the matter with the managing director of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) on July 20, 2024, and also with the Union ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, drawing the attention of the concerned authorities for undertaking remedial measures to ensure uninterrupted supply of potatoes into the region.
“In response to the efforts, the secretary, Union ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, had asked NAFED to help improve the supply of essential goods to Assam. Accordingly, NAFED has started working on a mechanism in consultation with the state government to improve the supply of potatoes, onions, etc.,” an official statement issued here said.
In addition, the Assam chief secretary had taken up the matter with his counterpart in West Bengal for necessary intervention of the local administration to enable free flow of essential commodities moving in and out of Assam and the Northeastern region through and from West Bengal.
During the review meeting held here on Friday, representatives of the Potato Traders’ Association apprised the minister about the wholesale and retail rates of potatoes.
The association informed that the wholesale rate for potatoes sourced from West Bengal stood at Rs 27 per kilogram, whereas the wholesale rate of potatoes sourced from Uttar Pradesh stood at Rs 32 per kilogram. The retail rate is currently Rs 40 per kilogram.
The stakeholders informed during the meeting that there was adequate supply and stock of potatoes at present to cater to the demand across Assam.