West Bengal Cold Storage Association Voices Concerns over Various Things

News Desk, News Nation 360 : The West Bengal Cold Storage Association, the state's only active association of cold storage facilities, held a press conference today at the Press Club in Kolkata to alert the public and government consumers to the significant price difference between West Bengal's wholesale and retail potato markets and the detrimental effects they are having on both farmers and the cold storage sector. Sunil Kumar Rana, the President of WBCSA; Subhajit Saha, the Vice President of WBCSA; Tarun Kanti Ghosh, a former President of WBCSA; Dilip Chatterjee; Kaushik Kundu, the Chairman of WBCSA's District Committees; SK Jiaur Rahman, members of the Executive Committee, and other distinguished Association members attended the press conference. On this occasion, Sunil Kumar Rana, President of West Bengal Cold Storage Association, stated that in addition to directly hurting farmers who have stored about 80% of this season's harvest, the

existing gap between wholesale and retail potato prices is unsustainable and jeopardises the survival of the cold storage sector. They implore the government to act quickly to promote interstate trade, purchase potatoes at a minimum support price, and include them in public welfare programs like midday meals. In addition to hurting the rural economy, West Bengal's entire potato farming and storage ecology may be in danger if prompt action is not taken. West Bengal is also experiencing serious problems in its potato storage and pricing. This season, 70.85 lakh metric tonnes of potatoes are warehoused in cold storages, an all-time high because of an earlier ban on inter-state potato movement that resulted in about 10 lakh tonnes of early variety potatoes stocked up. Historically, 60% of the production is consumed locally and 40% marketed out. The government announced a minimum support price of Rs 9/kg, spurring farmers to sell and hoard crops. But after the unloading season started in May 2025, wholesale prices crashed within weeks to Rs 11–12/kg in Singur for top quality, and Rs 9–10/kg in the other districts for average quality, incurring losses of Rs 400 to 500 per quintal for farmers. This decline perilously jeopardizes future cultivation, in danger of causing supply-demand gaps and damaging the rural economy. In addition, the cold storage sector will likely be exposed to underutilization, posing threats to its sustainability. Rush action must be taken to stabilize prices and protect farmers' revenues while ensuring the sustainability of cold storage operations and the potato supply chain in West Bengal.