TV
At a time when the skyrocketing price of potatoes is burning holes in the pockets of the common man in Odisha, the essential kitchen commodity has vanished from various dishes being offered at several food outlets in different parts of the state.
Surprisingly, the tuber has also gone missing from the Cuttack famous ‘Dahibara Aloodum’ in which it plays a crucial role to satisfy the taste buds. Moreover, the lesser presence of the potato in snacks like chat, pani puri, dosa has come up as a big upset for the food lovers of the State.
May it be a vegetarian or non-vegetarian dish, potato is widely used in almost all culinary by the people of the State. But with its price reaching Rs 50-60 per kg across the State, the essential kitchen commodity has started to disappear from the plates.
“Cuttack is famous for its dahibara and aloo dum. However, the sudden rise in potato prices has left the sellers helpless. The amount of ‘aloo’ in the ‘aloo dum’ has gone down significantly,” said a customer at a Dahibara shop in Cuttack.
The skyrocketing price of potato has left us with no option than eliminating the tuber from the dishes we offer at our hotel, said the owner of a food stall.
Even though the Food and Supplies Minister Krushna Chandra Patra urged all traders to sell the potatoes at Rs 32 per kg, the kitchen essential is now being sold at Rs 50-60 per kg at different retail markets including Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.
The price of potatoes has gone up after the West Bengal Chief Minister directed the traders of her State to temporarily halt tuber export to other states.
Meanwhile, potato procurement from West Bengal has resumed following a discussion with the neighbouring government, informed Odisha Food & Supplies Minister Krushna Chandra Patra on Saturday.
“The price of potato soared as it could not be imported from West Bengal. But following a discussion with the neighbouring government, the trucks carrying potatoes have started entering Odisha. Potato is being sold at normal price in the market,” Patra said adding that potato is now being sold at Rs 32 to Rs 34 per kilo.
