Vegit (Merino Group) to expand potato flakes production capacity by 50%

Vegit, the agro division of the Rs 950 crore Merino Group which offers ready-to-cook packaged foods, plans to raise capacity of potato flakes facility by 50 per cent to meet growing demand.

Vegit is raising production capacity of potato flakes at its plant at Hapur in Uttar Pradesh to 12,000 tonnes from current 8,000 tonnes.

It is also also looking at growing its product portfolio by adding six new variants of snack mixes to the current range of nine.

"We understand that the demand for ready-to-cook food market is growing, as more and more people are imbibed with the ready-to-cook concept," Vegit Director Prakash Lohia said

It also plans to increase its retail presence by 25 per cent by adding 1,250 more stores to its 5,000 pan India outlets.

It is currently present in 20 cities, including metros and mini metros and will add 10 more cities by end of fiscal.

Vegit has a wide array of products starting from the flagship products Aloo Mash (Potato Flakes) to Indian snacks like Burger Patty, Aloo Tikki, Aloo Bonda, Soya Rolls, Cheese Balls, Hara Bhara Kebabs, Shammi Kebabs and Veg cutlets along with recently launched Pav Bhaji mix.

Merino Industries is the largest provider of potato storage and processing facilities in India.