The Mamata Banerjee government enforced a ban on the interstate supply of potatoes after its prices shot up earlier this month. In response, potato trader associations went on an indefinite strike, further pushing up the price.

The strike was eventually called off after the state government promised to intervene.

A senior official from the state agricultural marketing department said that while supply from cold storage supplemented stocks and helped gradually push down the retail price, the target now is to bring it down to Rs 30/kg “before allowing export to neighbouring states.”

The spud is currently retailing at Rs 36-37/kg. “The state government is closely monitoring the situation and a decision will be taken at a later date,” the official said.

West Bengal is the highest producer of potato in India after Uttar Pradesh — according to the Government of India’s Agri Exchange, the state contributed to 23.51 percent of India’s total production in 2021-22.

Neighbours Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Bihar depend on the state for their potato supply.

Significantly, Odisha’s CM Mohan Majhi and its Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik have appealed for the state government to intervene.