The area under potato cultivation in Punjab is about 35,000 hectares, while the neighbouring Haryana grows potatoes in about 3,500 hectares. Last year's potato glut forced farmers to abandon their crop in fields and cold storages as prices offered for the produce was very less at around Rs 60 per quintal as against cold storage charges of about Rs 100 a quintal.

However, this year there is total reversal of the potato scenario with almost one third of the potato crop in Punjab being damaged. Punjab contributes about seven lakh tonnes of potato to the national kitty and consumes the balance. Reports suggest that in Haryana, of the total 3,500 hectares under potato cultivation, crop in as much as 3,000 hectares has been damaged to a large extent. Panipat, Yamunanagar, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Pipliand Shahbad have reported massive damages due to "waterlogging". Heavy and untimely rains did the maximum damage to the crop in these belts which produces the lion's share of the total crop grown in the country.

The total output of potato from the 3,500 hectares in Haryana last year was about 1,50,000 tonnes. However, under the normal circumstances Haryana produces between two to three lakh tonnes of potato every year. The damage was so extensive that farmers are resorting to resowing the crop. Experts point out that this would lead to a delayed crop and lead to escalation in prices. The resown crop would be harvested in January and February.

Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Bathinda in Punjab have shown a large increase in the area under potato cultivation over the years. In 1990-91, the total area under potato cultivation was just 1,801 hectares and has risen to about 35,000 hectares at present. Despite damage caused by blight, output in Punjab last year was about 8,00,000 tonnes. A major portion of theproduce came from Hoshiarpur, Bathinda, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Kapurthala and Moga.

Punjab, which was pinning its hopes on a bumper potato crop to the tune of about one lakh tonnes this year, will have to contend with about one third of the expected produce according to experts of Punjab Agriculture University. Experts say that owning to the glut in markets last year the farmers reduced the acreage of potato this year leading to lower projections. And now the crop had failed.

Punjab's director of agriculture, Capt AS Randhawa said that there was a "grim" situation on the potato front in the state. He said that the state planned to extend the area under potato cultivation by 15,000 hectares in the next two to three years. He agreed that all was not well with the food bowl of India - Punjab - and said the damage to potato, cotton and paddy crops was "massive".