Market
31 December 2025
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Source:TOI/Tribune Team Potato Bazaar
Potato Crisis: Haryana Farmers Face Financial Ruin Amid Falling Prices and Unpaid Relief
Potato Crisis: Haryana Farmers Face Financial Ruin Amid Falling Prices and Unpaid Relief
Haryana Farmers Face Financial Distress Amid Falling Prices and Unpaid Relief
Potato growers in Haryana are in distress as a sharp decline in market prices coincides with a prolonged delay in government compensation for previous crop losses. This dual burden has left many farmers on the brink of bankruptcy, particularly in the potato-growing hubs of Panchkula, Sirsa, Sonipat, Yamunanagar, Ambala, and Kurukshetra district mandis such as Pipli, Shahabad, and Babain.
Plunging Market Prices
The current harvest season has seen prices for "white-skin" potatoes crash to as low as ₹180–₹480 per quintal—levels that barely cover the cost of seeds and labor. Farmers, who hoped to recoup losses from previous seasons, are now being forced to sell at a pittance or watch produce rot in storage due to a lack of buyer demand.
BKU Demands Intervention
Leading the charge for relief, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) has formally petitioned the government to address the crisis. Union leader Gurnam Singh Charuni has criticized the state for clubbing premium "red-skin" potatoes with "white-skin" varieties when calculating price averages, a practice that artificially inflates market data and disqualifies many farmers from receiving aid. The union demanded that the two varieties be treated separately for price assessment and compensation purposes.
The union is demanding a secured price of at least ₹800 per quintal, noting that the current ₹600 floor is insufficient. Furthermore, they are calling for the immediate completion of crop verification on government portals to release stalled compensation.
The Breaking Point
With debts mounting, BKU has warned of statewide agitations. Without immediate freight subsidies or the release of pending relief funds, the agricultural backbone of the region faces a long-term crisis of debt and despair.
Potato growers in Haryana are in distress as a sharp decline in market prices coincides with a prolonged delay in government compensation for previous crop losses. This dual burden has left many farmers on the brink of bankruptcy, particularly in the potato-growing hubs of Panchkula, Sirsa, Sonipat, Yamunanagar, Ambala, and Kurukshetra district mandis such as Pipli, Shahabad, and Babain.
Plunging Market Prices
The current harvest season has seen prices for "white-skin" potatoes crash to as low as ₹180–₹480 per quintal—levels that barely cover the cost of seeds and labor. Farmers, who hoped to recoup losses from previous seasons, are now being forced to sell at a pittance or watch produce rot in storage due to a lack of buyer demand.
BKU Demands Intervention
Leading the charge for relief, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) has formally petitioned the government to address the crisis. Union leader Gurnam Singh Charuni has criticized the state for clubbing premium "red-skin" potatoes with "white-skin" varieties when calculating price averages, a practice that artificially inflates market data and disqualifies many farmers from receiving aid. The union demanded that the two varieties be treated separately for price assessment and compensation purposes.
The union is demanding a secured price of at least ₹800 per quintal, noting that the current ₹600 floor is insufficient. Furthermore, they are calling for the immediate completion of crop verification on government portals to release stalled compensation.
The Breaking Point
With debts mounting, BKU has warned of statewide agitations. Without immediate freight subsidies or the release of pending relief funds, the agricultural backbone of the region faces a long-term crisis of debt and despair.
#PunjabAgriculture#FarmerCrisis#PotatoPrices#CropCompensation