Rising temperatures across the world are threatening global food security. In China, potato yields are suffering from warming, droughts and floods. China is the world’s largest potato producer and relies heavily on this crop. However, warming temperatures, coupled with extreme weather like droughts and floods, are already impacting yields. A 3 degree C increase in temperature can accelerate potato growth but cut yields by more than half. To counter the situation, scientists in Chinese research facilities are reported to be conducting experiments to develop heat-tolerant smaller potato varieties – a vital step to safeguard this staple crop against an uncertain climate.
In India also, the humble potato is a versatile vegetable that finds itself in varied dishes and is an especially popular feature of cuisine in eastern India. But recently, it was at the centre of a crisis pitting the West Bengal government against the neighbouring state of Odisha. This happened after the Trinamool Congress government, fearing shortages due to weather-related damages, stopped the movement of potatoes to its neighbouring states, causing the price of the vegetable to shoot up there.
Contrast the response to the ‘potato crisis’ in China with that in India. While research labs backed by Beijing are responding to the crisis in China, politics is playing out in India. The BJP government in Odisha has alleged that the crisis was ‘man-made and deliberately orchestrated to create unrest’. There is a flip side to this charge. Several states in India have set up Potato Missions to become self-sufficient in potato production. Under the scheme, the state government has been promoting potato cultivation among rural farmers by ensuring the availability of high-quality seeds along with subsidised fertilisers, pesticides, and agricultural implements.
However, not much progress has been achieved as the Centre has shown scant interest in this scheme, though the Indian Council of Agricultural Research runs a Central Potato Research Institute in Shimla.
Making a mockery
The current crisis has also become s BJP versus Opposition fight. This is not the first time that West Bengal has put an embargo on the supply of potatoes to other BJP-ruled states, making a mockery of the homogenous nature of business and the free movement of products across India. West Bengal also supplies potatoes to the seven north-eastern (NE) states, mostly ruled by the BJP. In mid-July, after the state announced the embargo on the potato supply to outside West Bengal, hundreds of trucks loaded with potatoes en route to the NE states were stranded at the border between West Bengal and Assam, the gateway to the NE region. Prices shot up owing to scarcity. Fortunately, the NE states are close to Bhutan, from where the Modi government allowed unlicensed imports till 30 June 2027, a move facilitated by the Central government.
The potato growers and the cold storage owners claim they are staring at a financial loss after the ban. The move is also hurting the cold storage industry in the state
In the case of Odisha, the state has been facing recurring potato shortages, making it heavily reliant on West Bengal. Last year also, a surplus harvest in West Bengal led to a temporary halt in potato transportation to Odisha, giving way to a severe crisis. The state government had to turn to Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Bihar to get potatoes and stabilise the market. Later, negotiations between the Odisha and West Bengal governments restored the supply, but not for long.
West Bengal is the second-highest potato-producing state after Uttar Pradesh, with 40 per cent of the total produce sold in markets of neighbouring states. Bengal produces 10-11 million tonnes of potatoes every year. There are 475 cold storages across Bengal, and all these units together can store 7 million tonnes of potatoes.
The government imposed the ban after the price of potatoes started shooting up in the state. Defending the ban, the government said that that, in most markets in the districts, potatoes cost Rs28-30 a kg. “If we hadn’t issued the ban, potato prices could have surged to Rs40-45 a kg,” it said. The agricultural marketing department claimed that the ban was justified, as the stock of potatoes would merely meet the state's daily demand of 15,000 tonnes.
The traders initially started an indefinite strike but after receiving the assurance of Becharam Manna, minister, agri-marketing, West Bengal, that he would talk to the chief minister about lifting the restrictions, they resumed their normal operation. Banerjee responded that she would allow the sale of potatoes outside Bengal only after ensuring the state's demand was met.
The potato growers and the cold storage owners claim they are staring at a financial loss after the ban. The move is also hurting the cold storage industry in the state. If the stocks in the cold storages are not cleared, it will lead to distress sales and spoilage of potatoes, thus hurting both the potato growers and the rural economy, they say.