Uttar Pradesh horticulture minister Dinesh Pratap Singh on Friday said a potential potato storage crisis in the state had been averted after restoration of ammonia gas supply to cold storages within two days through coordinated efforts of the Centre and the state government.
Addressing a press conference here, Singh said disruption in ammonia supply by fertiliser companies had threatened nearly 150 lakh metric tonnes of potatoes stored across 2,357 cold storages in the state, risking heavy losses to farmers and operators. “Timely intervention under the guidance of chief minister Yogi Adityanath and support from the Centre ensured that supply was resumed quickly,” he said.
He further said the state government immediately took up the matter with Union ministers JP Nadda and Hardeep Singh Puri, following which uninterrupted gas supply was restored, safeguarding the stored produce.
Singh said the potato crop this year had been better than previous years and the government had made advance arrangements for storage and marketing. He credited the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ensuring swift resolution of the crisis.
The minister also said efforts were underway to coordinate with other states for better marketing of surplus potatoes to ensure remunerative prices for farmers. He assured that the state government remained committed to protecting farmers’ interests and will put in place a permanent mechanism to handle such contingencies.
