Crops damaged, potato farmers keep an eye on sky for weekend rain
Times of India | 22 February 2025
12 Kolkata: Unseasonal rain dealt a significant blow to one of the state's most crucial cash crops — potatoes. As the potato harvest season begins, 80% of the crop remains unharvested in the fields. The unexpected late-Feb rain, combined with forecasts of more rain this weekend, has left farmers and traders in distress. Some farmers are harvesting their potatoes prematurely, fearing that the weekend rain might make the crop irretrievable.
Farmers, especially in low-lying regions like Jamalpur (East Burdwan), Chandrakona (West Midnapore), Dhaniakhali, and Jangipara (Hooghly), reported damage to their crops due to the rain. Kesab Ghosh, a farmer from Tarakeswar, expressed concern, saying, "The Pokhraj and S1 varieties, which are being harvested right now, are the worst hit. We were all set to harvest the Jyoti variety in a few days, but the crops' leaves bear the brunt of the rain and hailstorm."
The unseasonal rain has raised fears of ‘dhwasa rog' — a bacterial attack known as late blight of potatoes, which could devastate the crops.
Though this year's potato crop is expected to be bumper, with significant expansion in cultivation areas, the sudden rain has dampened hopes a bit. The agriculture and panchayat departments are still assessing the full extent of the damage. "We will get to know the extent of crop damage soon," an official stated. Despite the weather setback, potato traders remain hopeful. On Friday, the farm gate price for potatoes was Rs 300-340 per 50kg bag (around Rs 6/kg), while the retail price for the Jyoti variety stood at Rs 12-15 per kg. However, Lalu Mukherjee, president of the Bengal Potato Traders Association, acknowledged the challenge, saying, "Even before the beginning of potato trade, the rain is certainly a setback. We hope the weekend rain does not affect the crops further." Meanwhile, an overwhelming surplus of potatoes is also a cause of worry because the state faces storage challenges. Bengal is poised to produce a record 1.4 crore tonnes of potatoes in the 2024-25 season, a sharp increase from last year's 1.27 crore tonnes.
This rise is attributed to a larger cultivation area. However, with consumption of potatoes in the state pegged at only 65 lakh tonnes annually, the remaining 85 lakh tonnes must be exported to neighbouring states to prevent a market glut. Bengal's 475 cold storages can only hold 70 lakh tonnes, leaving much of the surplus without proper storage.
With an estimated 1.25 lakh bags of potatoes still in cold storage from the previous season, farm-gate prices have dropped to Rs 5-6 per kg. Sunil Rana, president of the West Bengal Cold Storage Association, expressed concern over the limited storage capacity.
"Unless urgent measures are taken to manage the surplus and improve storage, farmers may continue to suffer," said Barun Ghosh, an agri-economist.
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