Kolkata: The state government is providing transport subsidy for the benefit of potato farmers, businessmen and cold storage owners, for exporting potatoes to other states. The state is giving a subsidy of Rs 50 per quintal for export of potatoes by road and Rs 100 per quintal for export in railways.
The subsidy will continue till the end of December. The state government will be spending around Rs 15 crore from the state exchequer, for the purpose of providing subsidy.
“We will be keeping a hawk eye on the export of potatoes to other states, to prevent any misuse of the money for the subsidy. There have been instances when businessmen have not exported potatoes even after taking the government subsidy. There will be GPS monitoring on trucks for export through road,” a senior official of the state Agricultural Marketing department said.
However, the state government wants to have more export by rail as the process not only saves time but also lessens the chance of irregularities in export. Potatoes from the state are mainly exported to the neighbouring states like Jharkhand, Assam and Odisha.
