Potato farmers in Raiganj of North Dinajpur district are in trouble as cold storage owners want them to clear their potato stocks. Agreements between both parties expired on November 30. The farmers have requested government intervention.
This year, there was a very good potato yield in the district and the farmers had to store their potatoes in cold storages. With surplus supply, prices remained very low for a long period. If the farmers remove their stock from cold storages, they will have no market to sell their crops and will not get the price. They will incur huge losses which is why they want the intervention of the government.
One owner of a cold storage facility at Panishala in Raiganj said: “Our agreement with farmers according to the instruction of the government ended on November 30 but still, more than 20 per cent stock remains in our cold storage. The farmers have been told to take away their stocks as we have to prepare our cold storages for the next session. If we allow the farmers one more month, we will incur a large expenditure. We want the state Agriculture department to hold a meeting and work out an amicable solution.”
Source: millenniumpost.in