Highly placed sources in the state's agriculture production commission told The Financial Express that a request has already been sent to Nafed to purchase at least eight to ten lakh tonne of potatoes under its market intervention scheme for the central pool. This would ensure that the farmers get a remunerative price for their potato crop. At the same time the state government is also trying to ensure that the farmers get remunerative prices for their produce through a support price for the commodity is still to be worked out.

Apart from this, the state government is also making efforts to contact neighbouring states to urge them to make direct purchase of potatoes from surplus districts in the state, notable among them being Kannuaj andFarrukhabad and some hill districts. This too, according to state government sources would ensure proper returns for the farmers.

Further more, in view of the acute paucity of adequate storage facilities in the state, the UP government has also announced that all government and private cold storages would remain operational. In addition, efforts would be made to construct new ones and reopen closed ones. According to official estimation, even after possible sale of potato crop to Nafed and other neighbouring state governments, UP would still have to deal with 55 lakh tonnes of potato which would have to be stored in cold storages.

Presently, the state has a total cold storage capacity around 43 lakh tonnes which is likely to be raised to 48 lakh tonnes if concerted efforts are made. "That still means a shortfall of seven lakh tonnes and we are trying our best to devise ways and means of storing or selling this as well," said a senior official of the horticulture department.

Already the local mandis inthe state are flooded with potatoes which are selling for as low as Rs 4-5 per kg at the retail level. According to official estimates, about 20 lakh tonnes of potato would be harvested in December and January alone as early crop and another 20 lakh tonnes from the main crop would be simultaneously harvested.