Three years of mounting losses in potato farming have pushed the family of Minakshi Ghose, a farmer from Kalna in West Bengal’s Purba Bardhaman district, into distress.
She said her father-in-law, 78-year-old Sailen Ghosh, died about two weeks ago, allegedly after he failed to sell his potato crop, leaving the family in debt of ₹20 lakh. “We have had to sell potato sacks (50 kg each) for ₹110 when the production cost is at least ₹350. I cultivated over 16 bighas of potatoes. No one has stood by us,” she said. Potatoes lie scattered in the courtyard of their house, with no buyers in sight.
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“I have already lost everything. What is the point of speaking about it? You cannot bring back my father,” said Mr. Ghose’s son, who did not want to be named. Struggling to cope with both personal loss and mounting debt, he sees no way out to sustain his household.
Death of three farmers between February and March has been linked to falling potato prices in the State, turning the incidents into a major issue ahead of the State Assembly election.
