News on Potato Cultivation from Asia

Global Potato Summit (GPS) has announced the company Strategic Partnership with PotatoEurope, Netherlands 2025—a step that strengthens the growing synergy between India and the Netherlands in the potato value chain.

Earlier potato planting is being hastened in rural areas across the DPRK. Agricultural workers in South Hwanghae Province finished earlier potato planting in the shortest time.

Tarun Teja Goli, Agro-Potato Procurement and Supply Chain Manager at Agristo India, has provided an in-depth analysis of the recent fluctuations in India's processing potato market.

HyFun Foods partners with PUM Netherlands to enhance pre-harvest and post-harvest practices for 7,000 potato farmers in Gujarat, ensuring better quality and sustainability. This collaboration aims to reduce storage losses, maintain consistent quality, and strengthen the potato supply chain.

Mr. Shaban Al-Nahar, Chairman of Beirut Erbil Company, visited the Dutch Consulate in Erbil to welcome Consul Adriaan IJsselstein. They discussed strengthening Iraq-Netherlands cooperation, focusing on advancing the potato sector with Dutch expertise.

Potato farming in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Philippines, spans 11,000 hectares but struggles with limited high-quality seed potatoes. At the World Potato Congress (WPC) 2024 in Adelaide, Australia, experts highlighted Apical Rooted Cuttings (ARC) as a solution to improve yields.

Agristo Masa and AVR, both companies with West Flanders and Belgian roots, are strengthening their cooperation with a new investment intent. During the Belgian Economic Mission to India (26 February - 5 March 2025), led by Princess Astrid, Stefan Top, Managing Director of AVR, and Agristo Masa signed an agreement for the purchase of two additional AVR potato harvesters within the next two years. This follows an earlier delivery of an AVR harvester earlier this year.

Cyprus potato producers will receive financial aid and compensation after their crops suffered damage from recent cold weather and hail, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said

The Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA) has requested the government to suspend potato imports to protect the country's farmers from a financial disaster.

Potatoes are increasingly traded globally, raising the risk of spreading quarantined pests and diseases. Organizations like EPPO and national bodies regulate many of these threats, necessitating a unified approach to pest and disease management.

Indonesia, with over 275 million people, is poised to become the world’s 4th largest economy within the next decade. An early December Canadian trade mission, with strong representation from PEI’s potato industry, explored expanding Asian market opportunities to diversify exports and reduce reliance on shipping into the United States. 

Chinese scientists are working urgently to safeguard potato crops - a critical food source worldwide - against the growing threat of climate change. 

Tajikistan has achieved record potato production figures for the first 10 months of 2024 – 1 million 139 thousand 936 tons, which is 20.6% more than in the previous year.

The International Potato Center (CIP) is driving an initiative to enhance potato production capacity by training scientists from Nepal and Bhutan in innovative seed production and quality assurance technologies.

The Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture announced a remarkable 47% increase in potato production in 2023, achieving a self-sufficiency rate of 86% with over 621,750 tons of potatoes produced compared to 423,770 tons in 2021.

Potato harvest has begun in Aksaray, one of Turkey's top 10 provinces for potato production, where 80 percent of the population earns a living from agriculture and animal husbandry. Aksaray ranks first in many areas of animal husbandry in the country.

The ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute organised a front-line demonstration programme showcasing improved potato varieties to empower local farmers and promote sustainable agricultural production.

Siddhi Vinayak Agri Processing Pvt. Ltd. has organized a large-scale training campaign for farmers across the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh.