Bhubaneswar: The rise in potato price in Odisha due to the supply crunch will be solved soon.

This was revealed by Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare (FS&CW) Minister Krushna Chandra Patra today.

“There was an agitation by potato farmers in West Bengal recently. That is why the supply of the essential tuber to Odisha has been affected. The agitation in the neighboring state has been called off. Our officials have discussed the issue with their counterparts in Bengal. All issues related to the supply of potato to Odisha will be solved in a day or two,” said the Minister.

The Minister claimed that Odisha has sufficient stock of potato to cater to the needs of the consumers for at least seven days.

“The traders in Odisha have procured potato at a wholesale price of Rs 27 per kg. They have been asked to charge up to Rs 32 per kg from the consumers,” he added.

The Minister further revealed that he has already directed the officials concerned to take action against the potato traders who are fleecing the consumers.

Earlier, there were reports that hundreds of trucks carrying potatoes from West Bengal were stranded on the border as the authorities in the neighbouring state did not allow them to enter Odisha.

The Minister came down heavily on BJD president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik for writing a letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seeking her immediate intervention to normalize potato supply to Odisha.

“The previous BJD government in Odisha did not take any step to set up adequate cold stores in the state. It had launched a mission to enhance potato production in Odisha but the initiative failed to produce any result,” said the Minister.