Bhubaneswar: In another bid to mitigate the crisis of potatoes, the Odisha Government has decided to bring the tuber via trains, stated State Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra on Sunday.
Minister Patra told the media that efforts are underway to initially bring potatoes in two trains and the matter is being discussed with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
After talks with West Bengal govt to restore the supply of potatoes yielded no results, the Odisha government started procuring the staple from Uttar Pradesh. Due to the long distance retailers complained of potatoes getting damaged and not suitable for sale to consumers. Also, the transportation cost resulted in a steep rise in the prices of potatoes. Procuring potatoes from UP via trains would eventually reduce the time to 24 hours and no wastage.
