Suvendu Adhikari announces subsidies and compensation for potato growers in Bengal
The Chief Minister promised to pay farmers if market prices fall below Rs 1,120 per quintal and unveiled a transport subsidy.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday announced several measures for potato farmers, including a transport subsidy of Rs 50 per quintal, according to The Telegraph India. Speaking at an aid distribution programme in Pursurah, Hooghly, the Chief Minister promised to compensate growers if market prices fall below Rs 1,120 per quintal.
Adhikari said the state government would pay the difference as compensation regardless of the cost. He also stated that his government would not halt the interstate export of produce, accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of blocking movement to neighbouring markets like Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam and Uttar Pradesh.
The Chief Minister unveiled a potato procurement programme to address falling prices and mounting cold-storage stock. Under this project, the state will market potatoes through the PM-AASHA programme in collaboration with central agencies, including NAFED and the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation (NCCF).
Adhikari also promised to bring potato cultivation under the Prime Minister's crop insurance scheme, with the state government bearing the farmers' share of the premium. Additionally, he announced that beneficiaries receiving Rs 6,000 annually under the Prime Minister's Kisan Samman Nidhi will receive an extra Rs 3,000 under the Krishak Samman Nidhi.
Regarding paddy, the Chief Minister said the government would procure it at a minimum support price of Rs 2,500 per quintal plus an incentive of Rs 200 per quintal. He noted that the combined price would be raised in phases to Rs 3,100 per quintal over the next few years.
The Chief Minister stated that Bengal produced 140 lakh metric tonnes of potatoes in 2025-26. He noted that 27 lakh tonnes must be released from cold stores by November 30, though the deadline can be extended to December 31.