Potato News from Asia

May 06, 2008

Jalandhar potato growers to install grading machines

To cut the cost of manual grading of the potato crop, Jalandhar Potato Growers Association is all set to install grading machines of International standard and for the purpose approached Holland based company Allround Nu-Tech. "Presently the potat...

April 29, 2008

QSR Brands Bhd hopes to set up four Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlets a year in Phnom Penh.

QSR Brands Bhd hopes to set up four Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlets a year in Phnom Penh. This is given the robust growth of the city's tourism industry, said chairman Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim. He said four outlets would be set up by year-end ...

April 24, 2008

Potato rots in Chandpur cold storages as overloading raises temperature

A huge amount of potato is rotting at several cold storages in Chandpur Sadar, Matlab, Hajiganj, and Kochua upazilas, said affected potato growers, traders and middlemen.About 1,500 potato growers, traders and middlemen who stored their potatoes at Pa...

April 23, 2008

Burger King Plans Rapid China Growth Over 3 Years

Burger King Holdings Inc, the world's No. 2 hamburger chain, is looking to open several hundred restaurants over the next three years in China, where it now has only 12, a senior executive said on Monday, as it seeks to narrow the gap with rival McDona...

April 21, 2008

Bangladeshi army is ordered to march on potatoes rather than rice

When the order came down from the top brass of Bangladesh's armed forces it sounded like a joke. Some of the soldiers and sailors who were told that from now on their daily rations would include increased servings of potatoes almost certainly did not ...

April 17, 2008

Bangladesh: CS Karim, Moeen recommend more potato intake

Agriculture adviser CS Karim and army chief Moeen U Ahmed Wednesday urged people to build a habit of eating more potato to cut pressure on rice as the core food.General Moeen said: "The country witnessed five natural calamities in the past five ye...

April 16, 2008

800 companies in the running for the McDonald's franchise in Kosovo

An official spokesman for the US Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo, Mimoza Kusari, believes that the appearance of the world-known brand would make Kosovo a much more attractive region. “The opening of a McDonald's in Kosovo would improve the image of th...

April 14, 2008

India: 'Potato prices to stabilise at Rs 5-6 a kg'

"The prices of potatoes are not expected to come down further as farmers will not sell below cost of production,"said Satish Bhonde, Additional Director of Nashik-based National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation. The prices...

April 13, 2008

West Bengal Farmers hit by distress sale

At a time when inflation has touched a three year high of 7.41 per cent and prices of all foodgrains have gone up, potato growers here are a distressed lot as prices of potato have remained low.West Bengal Agriculture Marketing minister Mortaza Hossain...

April 10, 2008

McDonald's India partners with vCustomer for customer support and McDelivery

Customer support solutions provider vCustomer Corporation has partnered with McDonald's India (North &East) to provide centralised customer support service and order taking for its McDelivery services. With this engagement, all calls to the all In...

April 09, 2008

McDonald's Israel hit with class action over sodium

McDonald Israel franchisers, Alonyal, is being sued for NIS 100 million in a class action motion that alleged an attempt to mislead eaters about sodium in the food. The salty food poses a health hazard, says plaintiff Yoram Peri, in elevating the risk ...

April 09, 2008

Gain Report: Agricultural Situation/Food Trends Japan

Economic woes and environmental issues have received extensive attention from the Japanese food industry and media again. Many Japanese marketers are taking advantage of this situation as well as the strong yen to market their products. In this month's...

April 07, 2008

Balaji Wafers to Double Capacity

Balaji Wafers Pvt Ltd, a Rajkot-based company, is planning to double its production capacity. The company is setting up a wafers processing unit on over 35 acres in Valsad in south Gujarat with an investment of Rs 100 crore. The company enjoys a 70 pe...

April 05, 2008

SPS takes over Pailan's Potato Flake unit

The Rs 2000-crore SPS Group, with interests in steel, hotels and biscuits among other things, has taken over a potato flakes project set up by Apurba Saha's Pailan group, another diversified outfit that is into education, aviation, township developmen...

April 04, 2008

McDonald's records 12% growth in the Middle East

McDonald's recorded 12 per cent growth in the Middle East in 2007 compared with just six per cent globally, a senior manager has revealed. And now the US-based fast-food giant plans to increase the number of outlets in the UAE from 52 to 100 in the ne...

April 04, 2008

Battle of Burgers: Nirula's set to take on McDonald's

India's oldest western fast food giant Nirula’s is ready for a price battle with McDonald's. And adding to the price zing, Nirula’s will serve up a new menu as well. In an attempt to take on McDonald’s might, Nirula’s is offering a wide array of comfo...

April 04, 2008

India potato growers protest over non-availibility cold storage

Potato growers were holding a demonstration over the non-availability of space in cold storages even as the district administration claimed that the storages had enough space to accommodate around 32,000 quintals of potatoes. Farmers are already force...

April 03, 2008

Fast Food Companies See Beijing Olympics As Opportunity for Higher Sales

As the Olympic torch makes its way to Beijing, some American fast food companies are following the flame in a bid to capitalize on both the growing Chinese consumer market and the coming influx of tourist dollars. Chains big and small are either openi...