Potato price between 600-700 per quintal

DAINIK NATION BUREAU

The Pantnagar University’s the Agricultural Economics Department has forecast a price for potato between Rs 600 and Rs 700 per quintal during January to March. The forecast has been made under a project titled ‘Network Project on Market Intelligence’.

The project objective is to release a price forecast of selected agricultural commodities before sowing and during harvesting. The project team of the Pantnagar centre, under the supervision of Principle Investigator Dr Anil Kumar, conducted a market survey of the Haldwani Regulated Market, a major market for potato in Uttarakhand, and analysed the wholesale price data prevailing for the last 11 years. It is based on the past data and model and the actual market price may not turn out to be the same as forecast. Scientists have advised farmers to take marketing and storage decisions of potato according to the price forecast.

The sowing of potato in the plains happens between September-November. The harvesting happens between January-March. The newly harvested potato crop hits in market by January and will end by April. Thereafter, the arrival of potato is from the cold stores. According to the traders’ survey, January, February and March are the peak arrival months and June, July and August are the lean arrival months of the potato in Haldwani market.