Potato Prices Soar In Odisha Due To Drop In Production

Bhubaneswar: After onion and vegetables, potato is giving a sour taste to people with skyrocketing prices in a span of few days. The staple which was being sold at Rs 20-25 per kg now costs Rs 40-45 a kilo in several parts of the State.

While consumers said that they are now thinking twice before eating potato, traders claimed that the drop in production in Assam and Jharkhand due to flood has led to the rise in prices.

As per the traders at Chhatra Bazar in Cuttack district, they are now buying a 50-kg potato packet for Rs 1700-1800, and hence, they are forced to sell it over Rs 40 per kg. Besides, they said that there is less stock as compared to the growing demand of potato.

"Prices are rising by about Rs 100 everyday. People have also curtailed their consumption," said a trader, Santosh.

Chhatra Bazar traders' association secretary, Debendranath Sahoo also attributed the rise in price to lack of sufficient stock and supply. "Potato growers in Assam and Jharkhand were badly hit by crop damage due to flood," said Sahoo hinting at a likely fall in price after Diwali.

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