Bumper potato crop fetches good prices to farmers in Una

A bumper harvest of potato crop is fetching good prices in the market. The district administration will create a strong system for the production and marketing of potato so that farmers can get the right price for their crop, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri has said.

Agnihotri has directed the district administration to prepare a strong plan to promote a potato-based economy.

This year, the production of potato in the district is estimated to be around 28,000 metric tonnes and the farmers are getting Rs 2,200 to Rs 2,800 per quintal of the crop.

Agnihotri said that just as the apple-based economy had been successful in the state, there was an immense possibility of a potato-based economy in Una. In this direction, a strong system would be created for the production and marketing of potato so that the farmers could get the right price for their hard work and they could be saved from fraud, he added.

In the last kharif season, potato was sown on 1,800 acres. The Pukhraj potato variety was grown in this area, which gives the maximum yield. Besides, potato is also being sown on about 1,200 hectares during the rabi season in Una, the average yield of which is about 250 quintals per hectare.