Uttar Pradesh is making significant strides in the storage of its potato crop, with 74.88 percent of the total produce already stored in cold storage facilities. The state’s Horticulture Department is actively managing the storage process across its 2207 private cold storage units. This development is expected to greatly benefit the potato farmers in the state.
Uttar Pradesh is a major potato producing state in India, contributing more than 30 percent to the country’s total potato production. This season, the state witnessed potato cultivation across 6.98 lakh hectares, resulting in an estimated production of approximately 245 lakh metric tons. To preserve this substantial yield, Uttar Pradesh has established a significant cold storage infrastructure.
The state currently has 2207 private cold storage facilities with a total storage capacity of 192.43 lakh metric tons. According to the data from the Horticulture Department, 144.10 lakh metric tons of potatoes have already been stored in these facilities. This represents a substantial utilization of the available capacity, reaching 74.88 percent of the total capacity. There is still a remaining storage capacity of 48.33 lakh metric tons available in the cold storages.
The state government is actively involved in ensuring smooth potato storage. Dinesh Pratap Singh, the Minister of State for Horticulture, Agricultural Marketing, Agricultural Foreign Trade, and Agricultural Export, has stated that steps have been taken to increase the number and storage capacity of cold storages. The government aims to ensure that farmers receive fair prices for their produce in a timely manner.
