West Bengal will announce a special package for potato growers. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari made the promise on 25 September at an administrative meeting in Purba Bardhaman.
The package will be announced before the cultivation season, several media reported. The Free Press Journal said it will come before planting in December. The chief minister did not give an amount or details.
He said potato growers had been hit by black marketing and by limits on moving potatoes to other states under the previous government, The Statesman reported. At the same meeting, he announced a power subsidy of ₹2 per unit for about 400,000 farmers.
Cold stores still full
Farmers need help. Large stocks from the last harvest are still in cold stores. In Murshidabad district, 54% of cold-store stocks were still unsold in late September, the Bengali daily Bartaman reported on 23 September. Only 46% had left the stores. That is 8–9% more stock than in previous years at this time.
The district has eight cold stores. Sales of the Pukhraj variety are especially slow. It fetches about ₹180 per 50 kg bag. The Jyoti variety sells for about ₹280 per bag, according to the report.
Traders say cheaper potatoes from Uttar Pradesh are flooding markets in Jharkhand and Bihar. That leaves little room for Bengal potatoes in those states. The new crop is expected in markets by late December. Stored potatoes must be sold before then.
One farmer told the newspaper he still has 700 bags in store and does not know when he can sell them.
Why it matters
West Bengal is one of the largest potato states in India. Unsold stocks at planting time often lead to lower seed purchases and smaller areas. The size and form of the promised package will shape planting decisions for the 2026–27 crop. Seed and input suppliers should watch for the details before the December planting window.
Photo: Potatoes being transported to a cold store in India (illustrative). Suyash Dwivedi / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
