Hike in potato rates hits mid-day meal

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, July 23

After four months of schools making bulk purchasing of potatoes for mid-day meal scheme to deal with potato glut in the state and help ‘distressed’ growers, schools have now got directions to curtail the purchase of potatoes as the hike in its rates is upsetting mid-day meal scheme budget.

As potatoes are being used for three-four days every week in mid-day meal and there is an increase in the market price of these starchy tubers, besides limiting the use of potatoes, the state School Education Department has directed the district authorities to make “wholesale and central” purchasing of potatoes to save money.

On Saturday, all district education officers (DEOs) were issued directions to make bulk purchasing of two-week stock of potatoes for all schools in the district from the wholesale market.

The expenses on the transportation and distribution of potatoes among schools would be borne from the mid-day meal cooking cost. For every student of a primary school and middle school, Rs 4.13 and Rs 6.18 are given as cooking cost by the government, respectively.

“At present, schools are purchasing potatoes from the retail market. As there is a huge difference in the rate in the retail and wholesale market, bulk and central purchasing for the district will save money to make more addition to the meal,” said a senior functionary of the state mid-day meal scheme.

In the retail market, potato prices were Rs 10 per kg against Rs 4-5 per kg in the wholesale market, he said.

In March, when the state was facing potato glut and farmers were facing a shortage of cold storage to stock up their produce, the Education Department had directed the schools to make direct purchasing of potatoes from farmers. The department had even fixed the rate of Rs 5 per kg to purchase potatoes from farmers.