The potato growers in the district have suffered major losses due to yield of deformed potatoes, which are unsuitable for sale or human consumption.
Farmers from the district such as Rabindranath Mukherjee from Molaypur village, Sadhupur in Arambagh and Mukta Das from Pandua, reported: “We purchased Punjab potato seeds named ‘Korma’. The sowing was done in December last year, as is the usual practice. Typically, the growth of potatoes is checked after two to three months. However, when we dug up the first layer of soil for inspection, we were shocked to find that the potatoes were not in their usual shape but were severely deformed. Such potatoes have no market value and are also considered unsuitable for human consumption.”
“We invested nearly Rs 1 lakh, expecting a bumper yield, but the deformed crop has completely ruined us. We raised the issue with the agricultural department, and the potato seed suppliers from Punjab were summoned. A meeting was held in the presence of the BDO, zilla parishad Krishi Karmadhyaksha and Arambagh MP Mitali Bag. The seed suppliers agreed to pay a compensation of Rs 900 per quintal of deformed potatoes to the affected farmers through the concerned government office. However, to this day, we have not received our compensation.”
The affected farmers urged the state agricultural department to develop its own high-yielding potato seeds to reduce dependency on Punjab seeds and prevent further losses due to poor-quality supplies.