Potato News from India

December 24, 2008

India's potato output in 2008 may be 15% higher

India’s potato output is estimated to rise 15.38 per cent in 2008 owing to the favourable climatic conditions. The total output of the so far evergreen vegetable is likely to rise over 30 million tonnes in 2008 compared to over 26 million tonnes in 200...

December 15, 2008

Pepsico India to raise area under contract farming for potatoes

Pepsico is planning to increase its sourcing of raw materials in India from contract farming and venture into new states regarding this.The company's foods business unit, Frito-Lay, procures 50 per cent of potatoes, required for making chips and strips...

December 11, 2008

'India's share in global potato trade is 0.5 percent'

India may be the third largest potato producer in the world but its contribution to global potato trade is merely half a percent, industry officials and experts participating in the Global Potato Conference said here Thursday.

November 10, 2008

Kashmir may soon have its own brand potato chips to serve the local market

Despite availability of indigenous raw material – potatoes – for snacks production, Jammu and Kashmir imports potato chips worth 100 crores every year. The Valley produces more than 20,000 tons of potatoes annually.The trend of importing snacks from ou...

November 04, 2008

Pepsi to unleash 'power of one' in India

Pepsi Co is setting up a new leadership structure in India. Its two companies in India — PepsiCo India Holdings and snack food company FritoLay Indiawill be headed by Sanjeev Chadha who until now was only leading the beverages business. The move is in ...

November 03, 2008

Indian Actress Kareena Kapoor will star in marketing Frito-Lay Kurkure snack

Deepika Warrier, Director - Marketing, PepsiCo India Holdings (FritoLay Division), said, “We are proud to welcome Kareena Kapoor into the PepsiCo family. Kareena’s vibrant persona, pan-India appeal and her confident attitude makes her a great fit.

November 01, 2008

Fertiliser shortage hits potato farmers in Uttar Pradesh

A severe fertiliser shortage is threatening the timely sowing of potato and allied crops such as mustard in the ‘potato belt’ of Uttar Pradesh. Thousands of farmers in the region are facing problems procuring the requisite quantity of Di-Ammonium Phosp...

November 01, 2008

Bumper crop continues to crush potato prices in Uttar Pradesh

A bumper crop and rise in storage costs coupled with the suspension of futures trading, continue to crush potato prices in the country. Farmers across Uttar Pradesh’s potato belt, stretching from Kanpur to Agra, who were earlier euphoric about the reco...

October 24, 2008

McCain Foods to build market for frozen foods in India

McCain Foods India Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of McCain Foods, the world's largest producer of French fries and potato specialties, recently launched ‘Aloo Tikki’ and ‘Tandoori Nuggets’ with spices to suit the Indian taste profile. The ...

October 15, 2008

West Bengal Potato farmers block Kaltahar potato storage to demand compensation

The affected potato growers whose potatoes were damaged in Kaltahar Cold storage in Islampur in 2003 and did not receive any compensation yet today turned up in the premises of Kaltahar cold storage in Islampur and started agitation under the banner o...

October 03, 2008

Punjab expected to cultivate 75,000 ha Potato

Punjab is expecting to bring 75,000 hectares of land under potato cultivation this rabi season with a total output of 16 lakh metric tonnes. "We have targeted to bring 75,000 hectares of land under potato cultivation this season and we are hoping ...

September 21, 2008

PepsiCo not worried by U.S crisis, ups India investment

PepsiCo Inc (PEP.N) does not expect the U.S. financial crisis to hit its business and will invest a further $500 million in India over the next three years as part of its focus on fast-growing emerging markets, its chief executive said on Sunday. But h...

September 18, 2008

Frito-Lay plant in India resumes production

After nearly a month of closure, food and beverages maker Pepsico on Thursday announced resumption of operations at its Punjab plant as management and workers have reached a settlement. "We are glad to announce that we have reached an amicable sol...

September 16, 2008

Potato Glycoalkaloids

Glycoalkaloids in potato was the topic of a number of newspaper articles recently , since the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published a review on glycoalkaloids in potato and potato products.

September 16, 2008

Balaji Wafers aims to invest Rs 50cr (10 million USD) to expand capacity

Balaji Wafers plans capacity expansion of its production unit at Valsad in South Gujarat at the cost of Rs 50 crore (about 10 million USD). Besides, the company is planning to invest Rs 25 crore (about 5 million USD) for launch of new range of products...

September 10, 2008

Labour troubles at Frito-Lay India

Troubled with labour problems for the past four months, FritoLay India, a unit of PepsiCo Holdings Ltd, is now planning to shift its production base from Punjab to its other locations in Kolkata and Pune. It had shut down its industrial production earl...

August 27, 2008

Bengal launches campaign to increase potato consumption

The West Bengal government, along with the West Bengal Cold Storage Association (WBCSA), has launched an awareness campaign with an aim to increase per capita consumption of potato as well as prevent losses made by farmers. The programme comes in line ...

August 27, 2008

Indian Medical Society shows support for health benefits of potatoes

Seeking to debunk some of the misconceptions about consumption of potatoes, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said it was low in calories, cholesterol, naturally fat-free, nutritious and had cholesterol-lowering properties. Coming forward to support...