Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept. 9: Potato prices have reportedly soared to as much as Rs 180 a kg in parts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, turning one of the most basic items in the household kitchen into an expensive purchase and hitting lower-income families particularly hard.
In Sri Vijaya Puram, traders said potatoes were selling for around Rs 150 a kg at several retail outlets, while stocks have either disappeared or remained severely restricted at some shops over the past week. Whatever quantities have reached the market have been quickly picked up by consumers, they said.
The price surge assumes particular significance because potatoes are among the most widely consumed vegetables and are frequently used with other ingredients to stretch household meals. For families living on daily wages or tightly constrained monthly budgets, a several-fold increase in the price of such a staple can have a disproportionate impact.
At Rs 180 a kg, five kilograms of potatoes would cost Rs 900. For a relatively affluent household, that may mean a higher grocery bill. For poorer families, where food accounts for a much larger proportion of household expenditure, sustained prices at these levels can mean buying smaller quantities, changing meals or cutting spending elsewhere.
The pressure is compounded by higher prices of several other vegetables and household essentials, according to traders and political representatives, leaving consumers with fewer inexpensive alternatives.
Fresh supplies are now reaching the Islands, including potatoes transported by air, while another consignment is expected by ship around September 11-12, according to traders.
But the arrival of fresh stocks may not immediately bring prices back to normal.
Potatoes brought by air can provide emergency supplies during a shortage, but the substantially higher freight cost is eventually reflected in retail prices, traders said. For a low-value staple consumed in large quantities, air transportation is an expensive way of bridging a supply gap.
Concerns have also emerged over the condition in which the next sea-borne consignment could arrive.
According to traders, an earlier container carrying potatoes developed problems during transit and was returned, following which another consignment was arranged. The Wave Andaman could not independently verify the circumstances surrounding the earlier container.
Traders said prolonged transit and storage could lead to spoilage. If a sizeable portion of the cargo arrives damaged, the quantity actually available for sale could be substantially lower than the amount dispatched from the mainland, limiting the impact of the fresh supply on retail prices.
Supply strain
The shortage has once again exposed a structural vulnerability of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands — their dependence on mainland India for a significant share of everyday food supplies and the cost and complexity of transporting perishable goods over long distances.
Unlike mainland markets, where shortages can be addressed through supplies moving between regions by road and rail, the Islands depend heavily on shipping. When the regular supply chain is disrupted, air cargo can restore availability quickly, but at a substantially higher cost.
Recent rains on the mainland have also affected the availability and prices of vegetables, according to traders, adding to freight and logistical pressures.
The next test will come when the expected ship-borne potato consignment reaches the Islands around September 11-12. Its impact on prices will depend not merely on the quantity dispatched but on how much reaches the market in saleable condition and at what landed cost.
Congress steps in
TSG Bhasker, Chairman of the Campaign Committee of the Andaman and Nicobar Territorial Congress Committee (ANTCC), has written to the Director of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs seeking immediate intervention over shortages and what he described as an abnormal increase in the prices of essential commodities.
Bhasker said consumers were facing higher prices for grains, sugar, edible oil, vegetables, fruits, medicines and other household necessities, with economically weaker and middle-class families particularly affected.
“The people of Andaman & Nicobar Islands should not be forced to bear the burden of unchecked price rise and shortages of basic necessities. The Administration must urgently intervene and ensure that essential commodities remain available at reasonable prices,” Bhasker said.
He urged the department to examine whether the increases were being driven by supply shortages, transportation costs, distribution bottlenecks or other factors, and called for regular and adequate supplies across the Islands.
The potato shortage is therefore about more than the price of one vegetable. At Rs 150-180 a kg, it shows how quickly disruption in the Islands’ supply chain can translate into a cost-of-living shock.
And the impact is unequal. Households with greater disposable income may be able to absorb an unusually expensive grocery bill for a few weeks. For families surviving on limited incomes, the same increase can determine what, and how much, they are able to put on the table.
