September 19: The price of potatoes has declined by as much as 54 percent within a period of one year.

A comparison between the price list of this year mentioned by the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market Development Board with the price of corresponding period of last year has revealed that the price of potatos has gone down considerably this year.

The main reason for the lower price of potato is that potatoes are being supplied abundantly this year not only from the internal market, but from the external market as well.

The price of Indian red potato was Rs 59 per kg last year, according to the data provided by the development board. This year, the price has declined by 54 percent and is just Rs 27 per kg. The price of Nepali red potato last year was Rs 94 per kg, which has gone down by 39.36 percent this year. In similar manner, the potatoes from Mude was pirced at Rs 81 per kg last year. This year, the price of those potatos has gone down by 39.50 percent and now costs Rs 49 per kg.

Binay Shrestha, information officer of the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetables Market Development Board, said that the supply of potatoes has eased this year. In addition, the prices in the Indian market have also come down. Prices had skyrocketed during this time last year due to the major impact of lockdown imposed in Nepal. According to Shrestha, 75 percent of the total potatoes entering the Kalimati market are Indian and 25 percent are produced within the country.

According to the National Center for Potato, Vegetable and Spice Crops Development, potato is cultivated in about 200,000 hectares of land in Jhapa, Ilam, Kavre, Solukhumbu, Morang, Saptari, Makwanpur, Bara, Rupandehi and Kailali districts. Potatoes were cultivated in 195,173 hectares of land in the Fiscal Year 2074/75, while in the Fiscal Year 2075/76, it was cultivated in about 194,000 hectares of land. However, in the Fiscal Year 2076/77, the area of potato cultivation has decreased. The data of the center shows that potatoes were cultivated in only 188,098 hectares in the FY 2076/77.

According to Sandeep Subedi, Information Officer at the Horticulture Development Section of the Center, the total demand for potatoes in Nepal is 3.5 million metric tons annually. Out of which, 2.8 million metric tons is produced domestically and 4.5 million metric tons is imported from different countries.

Apart from domestic production, imported potatoes worth Rs 6 billion are consumed annually in Nepal.