West Bengal: Poor quality, supply chain issues push potato price up to Rs 40 again

Supply chain disruptions and poor quality products again pushed up potato prices on Monday, within four days of the rates dipping slightly on Thursday. The Jyoti variety, the prices of which had inched down to RS 38 a kg a couple of days ago, was back to being sold at Rs 40 a kg. The Chandramukhi variety continued to cost Rs 45 a kg, though the price had gone down to Rs 42 a kg for a day last week. Wholesale prices, which peaked at Rs 1,750 per 50-kg bags during last week's strike, gradually eased to Rs 1,600 per 50-kg bags and further to Rs 1,570 per 50-kg bags on Monday. But poor quality potatoes—over 15% potatoes in sacks deemed unsellable—spiked the effective cost of saleable produce. Moreover, the UP variety, which was expected to narrow the demand-supply gap, only began trickling into the market, making no difference to the prices. The Punjab variety, a new crop, is also being sold at a steep Rs 60 per kg. Sukumar Samanta, a large-scale trader from Singur, however, predicted a potential dip in wholesale prices starting Tuesday. "We are selling at govt-fixed rates, but some retailers are not cooperating. Additionally, abnormal weather patterns have reduced the