GUWAHATI, March 6 � Vast difference between the wholesale and retail prices of potato and onion in the markets of Guwahati and price difference in every market proves that the Food and Civil Supplies Department has failed to control the prices to give relief to the consumers. This also contradicts the Government�s claim that the prices of essential commodities are increasing because of the increase of prices at source.
At present, there is no scarcity of potato and onion and there is substantial difference of prices of the commodities in Guwahati and the metropolitan cities of the country.
When contacted by The Assam Tribune, the secretary of the Guwahati Potato and Onion Merchants� Association, Binode Jain admitted that there has been a major difference between wholesale and retain prices and that there is no shortage of the commodities in the market. He said that during the last few days, they have been selling potato at the rate of Rs 4.25 to Rs 4.50 per kilogram and the difference of price in the retail market should not be more than three Rupees per kilogram. But potato is now being sold between Rs eight to Rs 10 per kilogram in most of the markets of the city.
In case of onion, the price difference is even higher. Jain revealed that at present, onion is being sold at the rate of Rs 10 per kilogram in the wholesale market and Jain admitted that the retail price should not be more than Rs 14 per kilogram in any market of the city. But at present, onion is being sold at the rate of more than Rs 20 per kilogram in most of the markets of the city.
Jain admitted that the prices went up substantially in the months of December and January when the wholesale price of potato went up to Rs 10 to Rs 20 and that of onion went up to Rs 24 per kilogram. But the situation has now improved considerably and the prices in the wholesale market has came down substantially. He said that the state should not witness price rise of potato and onion soon as the commodities are available in the market.
This year, the wholesalers are bringing onion from Nasik, where it is available at the rate of around Rs seven to eight per kilogram and damage during transportation by train is also reduced as the quality of the commodity at this time of the year is fairly good. It takes about seven days to bring onion from Nasik to Guwahati by train and the cost of transportation is around Rs 350 per quintal.
This year, the wholesalers are bringing in potato to the region from West Bengal, where the prices are much lower than the traditional potato exporting states like Uttar Pradesh. Because of sharp increase of production of potato in West Bengal, the item is available at the prices ranging from Rs two to Rs 2.50 per kilogram, whereas the price in Uttar Pradesh is around Rs 3.50 per kilogram. However, the wholesalers are bringing in potato by trucks by incurring transportation cost of around Rs 200 per quintal. Jain admitted that transportation by train is cheaper but �we are forced to bring potato by trucks as there is no market for a full rake of potato.�
Jain said that the Government can control the prices in the retail market and the Association gave some suggestions to the Government in this regard in a recent meeting with the Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Dr Nazrul Islam. He said that the Government can reduce the price difference in the wholesale and retail markets and control the prices at least in the markets under the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) by keeping a close watch on the situation. The Government can easily engage officers of the Food and Civil Supplies Department to take the wholesale prices every day and put up sign boards indicating the retail prices in all the markets under the GMC to keep control over the prices. This will also help in doing away with the problem of price difference in different markets, he added.
