Talks with minister fail, West Bengal potato traders to go on strike today
Times of India | 3 December 2024
KOLKATA: Potato traders in Bengal will go on strike from Tuesday after their meeting with agriculture minister Becharam Manna on Monday failed to resolve the deadlock over the tuber's sale to other states.
The looming strike, which the minister claimed was an outcome of the traders' greed, has raised concerns over a potential spike in potato prices as the retail market is already facing a significant shortage in supply of the vegetable.
Lalu Mukhopadhyay, general secretary of the State Progressive Potato Traders' Association, said, ‘No resolution was reached during the meeting with the minister. Our strike will continue from Monday midnight." Manna accused traders and cold storage owners of hoarding, warning them of stringent punitive action against such practices.
Earlier, CM Mamata Banerjee had directed to ban potato exports to other states in a bid to regulate prices within Bengal. Banerjee on Monday reaffirmed her stance in the assembly, declaring, "Bengal first, then the rest." "Raising potato prices in Bengal to send them to other states for higher profits while I ensure insurance provisions cannot happen simultaneously. I will not tolerate this," she said.
The traders and owners had earlier announced plans to halt potato supplies to other states before Dec.