Kolkata: To tackle the challenges of a bumper potato harvest and protect farmers from price fluctuations, the state government has initiated direct procurement of potatoes under the Sufal Bangla initiative while also arranging adequate storage facilities. Recently, some farmers in Goghat, Hooghly—one of Bengal’s major potato-producing regions—staged protests seeking better prices and even dumped potatoes on the roads.
The state has already launched the Potato Procurement Scheme 2026, under which potatoes are being purchased directly from farmers at Rs 9.50 per kg. The government aims to procure around 120 lakh metric tonnes of potatoes.
A senior official from the state Agricultural Marketing department said that once procured, the potatoes will be supplied through Sufal Bangla stalls and markets, ensuring that consumers can purchase them at reasonable prices.
At present, cold storages across the state have a total capacity of 82 lakh metric tonnes, with only 12 per cent of the space currently occupied, leaving sufficient room for additional storage. Around 30 per cent of the storage capacity has been earmarked for small and marginal farmers.
The potatoes stored under this initiative will also be utilized for mid-day meal schemes in schools and other welfare programmes run by the state government.
In West Bengal, potato cultivation usually produces around 120 lakh metric tonnes from nearly 5,000 hectares of land. However, this year the output is expected to increase significantly, reaching close to 170 lakh metric tonnes.
