Excessive rain in Gujarat may become problem for potato processors

McCain Foods India, which sources potatoes for its french fries and wedges from Deesa in Gujarat, may look at other states such as Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal or Uttar Pradesh to procure potatoes in the coming months thanks to the unseasonal rains in the state.

McCain Foods has set up a processing plant in Mehsana to process potatoes grown in Gujarat. The factory is capable of processing about 35,000 tonnes of potatoes a year. The cold showers, which washed out 50 per cent of potato crop in the state, may be a cause of worry for the company, which is learnt to be meeting over 80 per cent of its requirements from Gujarat.

"Yes, there has been inclement weather in Gujarat. The sowing of seeds has started only 15 days ago and there are 15 more days to go, so it is too early to comment on the prices, yield etc at this time. What rainfall has done is to wet the soil now and over the next couple of months depending on the weather and other agro-climatic conditions we will get to know the impact on yield. We are working as per our internal plans. However, if there is a shortage of supply from Gujarat, we have potatoes coming from different sources, including Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal and UP, during February-March,"said KS Narayanan, managing director, McCain Foods India.

Apart from McCain, other companies which procure potatoes from Gujarat are Pepsico, ITC, Atop Foods, Balaji Wafers and Parle Products.