Lucknow/New Delhi, August 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has targeted the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government over what he described as worsening distress among potato farmers, questioning whether growers receiving as little as Rs 1 per kg could help the state realise its $1 trillion economy ambition.
Sharing a video from a potato market on social media, Yadav wrote, “Will giving the farmer a price of ‘1 rupee per kilo’ for potatoes create a ‘1 trillion’ dollar economy?”
He also took a dig at the state government, saying, “Yeh hai ‘deal ki dheel’ ka parinaam, hairan-pareshan hai desh ka kisan. Wah re Mukhyamantri Ji” — accusing the government of laxity while farmers struggle.
The video shows activity at a potato market where a man discusses the sharp fall in prices of hybrid potatoes. He claims the crop was being sold for Rs 1 per kg at Chakarpur Mandi in Kanpur.
According to the person speaking in the video, farmers still have to bear sorting and labour expenses even after selling potatoes at the extremely low rate. He also points to the additional costs of cultivation, transportation and cold storage.
The video advises farmers holding hybrid potatoes in cold storage not to take out their produce while prices remain depressed and instead wait for a better market rate.
It further claims that some farmers are unable to recover even transportation expenses from their sales, with proceeds allegedly falling short of the RTO charges as well as the cost of moving potatoes to cold storage.
Yadav’s criticism comes amid concerns over the gap between farm input costs and market returns. Available mandi data also shows low wholesale potato prices in parts of Kanpur, with Kanpur Grain APMC reporting Rs 600 per quintal on July 28, equivalent to Rs 6 per kg.
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