Potato prices to come down soon in Odisha: Food Supplies Minister

Bhubaneswar, July 26 (IANS) Amidst the sudden spike in prices of potatoes across Odisha due to a halt in supply from West Bengal, the state Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department Minister Krushna Chandra Patra on Friday assured that the problem will be resolved within two days.

“We had discussions with the officials of West Bengal and they said the strike by potato farmers in West Bengal which had started on July 21 ended on July 24. It will take two to three more days to solve all the related problems. The vehicles carrying potatoes will reach Odisha within a day or two and the situation will soon return to normalcy,” said Patra following a high-level meeting of the department.The minister also stated that Odisha has sufficient stock of potatoes to cater to the demands of consumers for the next seven to eight days and the officials have been instructed to take stringent action against if the traders are found selling potatoes above Rs 32 per kg.Earlier, Patra had also asserted that if the need arises then the government would import potatoes from Uttar Pradesh to meet the demand and control the price rise.He also criticized former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik over his letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requesting her intervention to ensure a smooth supply of potatoes.“Pleases stop playing these cheap