Potato News from Asia

March 31, 2008

India: Potato prices crash

Post-harvest, potato prices have gone down sharply this year in the main growing areas, especially in West Bengal. The price of the ‘Jyoti’ variety procured directly from the farmers is currently ruling at around Rs 100 per 50-kg packet, down from Rs 1...

March 30, 2008

Japanese firm Frente finds Thai potato-chip market tasty

The Japanese snack and candy manufacturer Frente Co has joined with the local consumer products distributor Durbell Co, a subsidiary of Red Bull Group, to introduce KaraMucho potato chips with the first-year sales target of 80 million baht. Frente sen...

March 28, 2008

Chinese consumers opting for local brands

Chinese consumers prefer local brands to foreign ones, with domestic products the top choice in 39 of 57 categories, or 68 percent, in a recent survey. The "2008 Ideal Brands for Chinese Consumers"survey was conducted by the Business Brand I...

March 24, 2008

A new blight-resistant potato variety has been named after Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

A new blight-resistant potato variety that has a high solid content, plus an expected high return on investment (ROI), has been named after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The potato variety – whose original planting material was sourced from the C...

March 24, 2008

Indian Food processing sector registers 13.7% growth

The growth of food processing sector has nearly doubled to 13.7 per cent during the last four years, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Subodh Kant Sahai said. "The food processing sector growth has reached the double digit at 13.7...

March 24, 2008

Farmer's son develops disease-free potato seed

Jang Bahadur Singh Sangha, a local farmer who has done his MSc in plant physiology and pathology from Cornell University in the United States, with a specialisation in potato seed, has set up a laboratory in the farms owned by his father, and has bee...

March 23, 2008

Yum! Brands registra incremento del 30% en ganancias en China en 2007

Yum! Brands Inc, el mayor operador de cadenas de comida rápida del mundo, registró un alza del 30 por ciento en sus beneficios en el mercado chino durante el año pasado. El volumen de negocios del operador de los establecimientos de KFC, Taco Bell y...

March 21, 2008

Yum! Brands reports 30% profit jump in China last year

Yum! Brands Inc, the world's largest fast food chain operator, realized a 30 percent profit increase in the Chinese market last year. The operator of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut stores in China registered 21.5 billion yuan (about 3 billion U.S. dollar...

March 20, 2008

Gain Report: Oil seeds and products Turkey 2008

Drought in 2007 sharply reduced domestic oilseed production in Turkey, leading to higher imports of oilseeds, meal and vegetable oil in MY2007. Although domestic production of sunflower should rebound if weather patterns return to normal, forecast shar...

March 19, 2008

Foreign Firms Seek a Bite of India's $90bln Food Market

Getting a foothold in India's processed foods market, estimated to be worth $90 billion, requires persistence and a willingness to adapt products to suit culinary and cultural preferences, experts say.Rising incomes, more working women, modern stores a...

March 19, 2008

Bangladesh: Farmers at a fix with bumper potato yield

A bumper potato production in eight northern districts of Bangladesh has compelled farmers to preserve the item in their indigenous methods as the total output far surpassed the capacity of cold storages. Officials of Agriculture Extension Department...

March 14, 2008

Kyrgyzstan: Indian entrepreneurs intend to construct potato processing plant in Talas

Beyshenbek Bolotbekov, the Governor of Talasskaya region, met with the entrepreneurs from India in Talas, CA-NEWS informs. The intention of the Indian entrepreneurs to construct the potato processing plant in Talas was discussed during this meeting.Th...

March 11, 2008

KFC handshake for hearing impaired

Thirty-seven boys and girls at the newly-opened Kolkata outlet have been trained to lip-read the customers' requests. In a first of its kind initiative and available only in Kolkata, global fast food giant Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has set up its f...

March 10, 2008

UAE residents lose appetite due to hike in fast food prices

Abu Dhabi/Dubai: Fast food chains in the UAE have significantly hiked their prices with some meals going up as much as 30 per cent. Across the board, there has been an average increase of 14 per cent within the last two months, Gulf News has learnt.KF...

March 08, 2008

Gujarat potato is McDonald's Indian French fry

Millions of consumers in India munch McDonald's French fry, also called Mac Fry, every day. But many of them might not know that the potato they relish comes from Gujarat, thanks to an initiative by the Indian subsidiary of US multinational McCain Food...

March 07, 2008

Burger King Furthers Global Expansion, Enters Curacao

Burger King announced it will open its first location in Curacao in the first half of 2008, partnering with franchisee group JDA Foods B.V. Curacao's first Burger King will be located in the capital city of Willemstad. The chain plans to open additiona...

March 06, 2008

KFC lines up Rs 300-crore investment, to open 66 stores

KFC is targeting 100 quick-service restaurants in India by 2010-end. The $12-billion brand, which is owned by leading global restaurant company Yum! Brands, Inc that also owns other brands like Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, is present with 34 outlets across...

March 06, 2008

Gain report: Foodservice Malaysia

Malaysia is one of the more affluent nations in Asia with a GDP per-capita of about US$6,450 in 2006. Malaysia’s economy grew by 5.9%, compared to 4.2% growth in 2002. Most economic commentators forecast Malaysia’s economy to grow by about 5.7% in 2007...