BJD chief Naveen Patnaik on Friday wrote a letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, seeking her intervention to ensure smooth supply of potatoes to Odisha.
In the letter, he highlighted media reports indicating that over 50 trucks loaded with potatoes are stuck at the West Bengal-Odisha border.
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Highlighting that “potatoes are an essential item for our people”, the former Odisha CM said that there is a shortage of the potatoes in the state’s markets, resulting in “artificial price hike”, which has added to the “sufferings of the common people.”
Patnaik appealed to Banerjee to act promptly to facilitate the movement of these trucks, invoking the strong cultural bonds between the people of Odisha and West Bengal.
“I request you to kindly intervene in the matter and ensure the smooth supply of potatoes to Odisha,” he stated.
Potato prices in Odisha have skyrocketed to as much as Rs 50 per kg. Most states depend on West Bengal’s supply of potatoes.
However, due to the strike of cold storage owners in West Bengal, there is a shortage of the vegetable in the markets and prices have soared.
