Potato loading in cold storages across West Bengal has risen by 14 per cent this season following a bumper harvest, with the State’s total potato production estimated at over 140 lakh tonnes in 2025-26 — the highest in the past five years.
According to industry estimates, cold storage loading touched nearly 74 lakh tonnes this year compared to 65 lakh tonnes in the previous season, driven by strong output and favourable weather conditions in key potato-growing regions.
Patit Paban De, a senior member of the West Bengal Cold Storage Association, said that the State witnessed higher production due to conducive climatic conditions and a marginal increase in cultivation area.
West Bengal, India’s second-largest potato-producing State, had recorded production of around 115 lakh tonnes last year, which was also considered a strong crop year.
Industry officials said more than 95 per cent of cold storages in the State are already full. Unlike previous years, a large share of the produce has been stocked by farmers themselves, while traders remained cautious after suffering heavy financial losses last season.
Last year, wholesale potato prices had crashed in Bengal as farmers resorted to distress sales amid weak inter-state demand and unsold inventories in cold storages. Traders and growers had also faced a sharp decline in shipments to key markets such as Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar.
Market observers said Uttar Pradesh aggressively expanded its potato trade into these markets after restrictions imposed by the previous Mamata Banerjee-led government disrupted the inter-state movement of potatoes from Bengal in 2024.
The earlier restrictions had triggered protests from farmers and traders, who cited mounting losses and shrinking market access. Following the recent Assembly elections, the new BJP-led government in the State lifted restrictions on the inter-state movement of potatoes, onions, fruits, vegetables, oilseeds and food grains.
State minister Dilip Ghosh said potato production this year has been significantly higher, leading to softer prices in the domestic market. He added that the government has decided to allow unrestricted sales of potatoes outside Bengal to ensure better returns for farmers.
The surge in production and storage levels is expected to influence potato prices and inter-state trade dynamics in the coming months as Bengal seeks to regain lost markets amid rising competition from Uttar Pradesh.