Dikhyaa Mohanty 
In a conversation with Mamata Banerjee, his colleague from Bengal, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi urged her to restore regularity in the supply of potatoes to Odisha. Majhi said that after their discussion in Delhi, the supply was streamlined, according to the CMO. He called her attention to the issue and again requested her action, saying that Odisha has been experiencing a potato crisis for the past few days, which has increased prices. It also stated that Mamata had promised to take the necessary actions to address the problem. This was announced in the same news that the Bengali government had chosen to place CCTV cameras along the border with Odisha in order to monitor the movement of trucks transporting tuber consignments via detours.
Since traders in the state refused to buy potatoes from Uttar Pradesh, claiming that people dislike the kind available in the northern state, and neighboring West Bengal stopped allowing the tuber to be transported, Odisha has been experiencing a severe shortage of the vegetable. In order to alleviate the situation, the government has begun offering potatoes for sale in retail stores throughout the state at a price of Rs 100 for 3 kg through the public distribution system (PDS). Potatoes have been distributed by NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd) to various locations throughout the state. Additionally, the traders have begun to release potatoes into the market. “I hope that they will also begin to sell the tuber at a fair price,” Minister of Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare K C Patra stated.
The Directorate of Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare initiated the process of giving 10 potato packets to each dealer, instructing them to give 3 kg of potatoes to every family with a ration card for Rs 100, till the market rates stabilize. Department officials also carried out raids in Bhubaneswar’s Unit-I market, ordering sellers to sell potatoes at the government-set price and threatening to take legal action against them if they are discovered to be charging more than Rs. 32 to Rs. 35 per kilogram.
Based on the Government of India’s Agri Exchange trading platform, West Bengal ranks second in the country for potato production, contributing 23.51 percent of the total share in 2021–2022, with Uttar Pradesh leading the pack with 29.65 percent.
