West Bengal is likely to witness an increase in the area under cultivation for potato compared with last year, with the sowing of the spud expected to be completed within ten days.

As the potato growers in the State, the country’s second-largest producer of the spud, has got good prices this year, they are expected to expand the acreage.

“Around 65-70 per cent of potato sowing is completed in the State. We expect the sowing activity to be completed within 10 days. Compared to last year, the total area under cultivation is expected to rise by 4-5 per cent as farmers got good prices of the spud. As the growers got better prices for their produce after harvesting last year or early this year, the current restriction on inter-State trade will not impact the sowing area,” Patit Paban De, a senior member of West Bengal Cold Storage Association, told businessline.

The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has recently restricted inter-State supply of the tuber in a bid to maintain the stock and keep the price of potato under control.

In Bengal, average land under potato cultivation is around 4.7 lakh hectares. Total production of the spud in the State was estimated to be around 100 lakh tonnes in 2023-24.

“Sowing of the Chandramukhi variety of potato has already been completed. Currently, Jyoti potato is being sown,” De informed.

“If weather conditions remain favourable, this time production would be around 120 lakh tonnes as area under cultivation is set to rise,” he added.