India: Potato glut, price slump lead to losses for Uttar Pradesh farmers

This Holi will not be a season of much cheer for farmers as the state faces a potato glut. Despite good crop yield, they are not even able to recover the input cost of their produce. Uttar Pradesh witnessed an increase of about 20% this year in the areas under potato cultivation. There has been increased production as the weather too remained conducive, said Ram Saran Verma, a leading farmer of Barabanki who has introduced many innovations in potato farming. “Farmers are getting Rs 3-4 per kg in the wholesale market for potato that is being sold at Rs 8-10 in the market. The cost of production alone has been around Rs 4 per kg and thus farmers are running into losses,” said Verma. The scenario is the same in other potato producing states, including West Bengal, Gujarat and Bihar, where potato has been priced almost at the same rate in the wholesale markets. More