Burdwan: Favourable weather in this season led to a bumper yield of Pokhraj potato and the Jyoti variant will be harvested in the Bengali month of Falguna and the farmers are hoping for abundant yield.
But this is not bringing them the profit they eyed as they alleged the market price is not at par with the yield. However, a stroll in the market tells a different story as the retail price of potatoes is higher, which can naturally translate to profit for both the sellers and cultivators.
These contrasting statements bring to the fore the involvement of middlemen who buy potatoes at cheaper rates from the farmers and sell them at higher prices in the market.
Cultivators say the price at which they are selling the produce turns three times after middlemen come into the picture. However, the local business association has refuted the claim, saying the packaging and transport cost of the potatoes are the only additions to the farm price.
Mehbood Mondal, supervisor of East Burdwan Zila Parishad's permanent samiti, said they have not received any complaint about the middlemen and action will be taken if received. The government is also planning to buy potatoes from the field, he added.
East Burdwan is called the rice bowl due to its farming culture, especially potato. Adjacent Hoohghly also produces a good volume of potatoes. This year a bigha is yielding 70-80 kg of potatoes but the farmers allege they are getting less price by kilos than previous years.
"Pokhraj potato had a good yield this year and we are getting 80 kg per bigha. But this does not translate to the expected price. The middlemen are buying it at 250 per kg from us which is less than the cost of farming," Prakash Biswas, a farmer, said.
Farmers said they get Rs 5 a kilo if a sack of potatoes is sold at Rs 250. They had no option but to lend for farming expenses, but are in doubt over repaying them.
"We are staring at a loss of Rs 8,000-10,000 per bigha. But the middlemen are making profits of Rs 200 per sack and we are getting nothing," Biswas said.
"Despite a good yield, we are making losses as the middlemen are eating our profit out. I thought of replaying the last year's debt with this year's profit but that seems to remain a distant dream. The cost of inputs and labour has surged but we are unable to recover them. The middlemen are solely responsible for this situation," Goutam Biswas, another cultivator, said.
Echoing Biswas, Ratan Adhikary said, "I sowed potato for the first time this farming season and encountered a loss of Rs 8,000-10,000 per bigha. I thought of getting the fair price, but couldn't recover even the input cost. But, the middlemen are making double profits and the public are shelling out higher prices to buy them. I have no clue how to pay my debt off."
The retail price of potatoes is in the range of Rs 11 to Rs 13 and the sellers are buying a sackful of potatoes for Rs 410. This means, the retailers are selling potatoes at prices two times that of the farm.
"The price of potatoes changes every day and it was in the range of Rs 10 to Rs 13 in the last few days. We are selling them according to the procurement price. However, more yields will bring the prices down further," Swapan Sen, a retailer, said.
"Potato prices are not hefty. The yields are good and the farm-to-market transport and labour costs are getting added to it. But the prices are affordable for common men," Sheikh Swapan, secretary of the Tentultala Bazar business owners' association, said.
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