Ahead of Phase 3 UP Assembly polls, potato farmers say falling prices, stray cattle menace, hikes in electricity bills continue to vex

Farukkabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 18 : Ahead of the third phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, which will cover majorly cover the state's potato farming belt, potato farmers have raised their pressing issues including falling prices, stray cattle menace and high electricity bills.
The potato farming areas comprise 16 districts in the state. More than 32 segments of the potato farming areas are the part of potato belt of Uttar Pradesh in the 59 assembly seats, that are going to polls in the third phase.
In India, Uttar Pradesh leads in producing potatoes with an average annual production of over 150 lakh tonnes followed by West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
There are altogether more than two dozen varieties of potatoes. However here Pokhraj is the most common and weighted potato.
Among superior quality of potatoes Chipsona sugar-free rules. Chipsona sugar-free potatoes are kept in cold storage for a particular time period to make them sugar-free.
This time with the arrival of new cash crops in the market, the rates have started plummeting to a worrying low for the farmers.
According to the monthly report of the horticulture statistics division, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' welfare in June 2020, the average wholesale price of potato per quintal in Uttar Pradesh was Rs 1524.41 and the market arrivals (in tonnes) were 279270.00.
Farmers that ANI spoke with from villages namely Dhilawal, said that they are getting Rs 300 to 400 per 'katta' (gunny bag) whose actual cost should be at least Rs 700.
Musaraff Siddiqui, a farmer who owns eight bighas of farming land at Bijadharpur said, "We are not getting the proper price for potatoes. The price should be at least Rs 1,500 to 1,600 per quintal. However, now it's Rs 700 to 800 per quintal. Our demand is that the potato price per katta should be Rs 700."
Meanwhile, he expressed satisfaction at the rates of maize.
"The cost of maize per quintal was Rs 1,700 to Rs 1800 which is fine," he said.
On an average, a labourer, who picks potatoes gets Rs 300 per day and picks up 15 to 16 kattas.
Another farmer named Kallu aged 55 said, "Electricity bills have increased like anything. We here are worried about the stray cattle that eats away potatoes and wheat. We stay awake even at night to guard our crops."
In 2017 Assembly poll, BJP bagged a major 49 seats whereas Samajwadi Party, BSP and Congress got eight and one each respectively.
SP Mahan Dal alliance leader Suman Morya, BJP's Sunil Dutta, who is also the sitting MLA, senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid's wife Louise Khurshid and Vijay Katiwar from BSP are fighting from Farukkabad Sadar seat.
Two phases of the seven phased polling for the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly have been completed. The third phase of the elections are scheduled for February 20.
The 16 districts which will go to polls in the third phase of Assembly elections are Jhansi, Kanpur Dehat, Kannauj, Auriyya, Etah, Etawah, Farukkhabad, Firozabad, Hamirpur, Hathras, Jalaun, Kanpur Nagar, Kasganj, Lalitpur, Mahoba and Mainpuri.
The counting of votes will take place on March 10.