Potato News from India

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 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 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

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 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...

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 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 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 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 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 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 03, 2008

Potato farmers in North Dinajpur face cold storage unit crisis

Potato cultivators in north Dinajpur district are facing a crisis to preserve their crops due to absence of adequate number of cold storages in the district. Having found no space to preserve they are being compelled to sell their crops in the market a...

February 25, 2008

Yum! Introduces Taco Bell in India

After two years of talks and research, Yum! Restaurants International, the owner of quick serve restaurant brands such as Pizza Hut and KFC, will finally introduce the Taco Bell brand in India in the latter half of 2008. Through with its first round of...

February 22, 2008

Pepsico to procure 30,000 tonne potato from West Bengal farmers

Pepsico India Holdings Pvt Ltd plans to procure at least 30,000 tonne of potato from West Bengal by 2010 for Fritolay, the food division of the company. At present, the company procures 12,000 tonne potato from the state