Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Potato farmers asked to take up sowing

COIMBATORE: The potato price in May-June 2010, which is the harvest period of the Neerbogam potato, is expected to be Rs. 12 to Rs. 15 a kg.

Reduced arrivals from other States during the same period and demand from the processed food industry will retain the price on the higher side.

Better price

Hence, farmers are advised by the Domestic and Export Market Intelligence Cell (DEMIC), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, to take up sowing in February-March to get better price.

Potato is one of the major vegetables widely consumed throughout the State.

The production of potato in Tamil Nadu in the year 2008-09 has declined to 1.47 lakh tonnes, which is 13 per cent less than that of the previous year. High cost of cultivation, labour shortage and arrivals from other States at competitive prices made the Nilgiris' farmers shift the cultivation to other hilly vegetables.

Yield reduction due to mist in the vegetative phase of the crop and expected heavy arrivals in January-March from other States at cheaper price compared to the Nilgiris variety have made the farmers skip the Kadai Bogam sowing for the last five years.

Under these circumstances, the potato growers were apprehensive about the price for the Neerbogam crop.

Hence, the DEMIC analysed 18 years of potato price that prevailed in the Nilgiris Co-operative Marketing Society and arrived at the prediction.

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