News on Potato Stats, Trade, Prices from India

The state cabinet on Tuesday approved a minimum support price (MSP) of INR 900 (USD 10.8) for a quintal of potato after reports that farmers were forced to go for distress sale of the crop following bumper production this year.

Potato vendors and cold storage owners in West Bengal are unhappy after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered restrictions in the last week of November 2024 on selling produce to neighbouring States. It has led losses for all the stakeholders, they claim.

It is a versatile vegetable that finds itself in varied dishes and is an especially popular feature of cuisine in eastern states — aloo posto In West Bengal (or for that matter Kolkata biryani, which is defined by the potato), aloo chokha in Jharkhand

In 2024, India's processing potato market saw significant price fluctuations, rising from INR 8/kg (USD 0.10/kg) in January to over INR 25/kg (USD 0.30/kg) due to varying demand and weather impacts, with expectations for stabilization in the coming months.

The potato shortage in Odisha (India) has eased somewhat after the West Bengal government allowed the supply of potato to other states for a week. Experts suggest increasing local production by using HTPS seeds and improving storage facilities.

West Bengal's decision to halt potato supply to other states, particularly BJP-ruled ones, has triggered a political showdown, leading to shortages and price hikes in affected regions.

Faced with soaring potato prices, India secures a steady supply for three years by extending license-free imports from Bhutan.

While the potato production was less this year, the heatwave made transportation a nightmare, with the supply rotting during the transit.

M S International - a major exporter of potatoes for processing - has received the prestigious FIEO (WR) Export Excellence Award in the Emerging Exporter (MSME) category for the year 2020-2021.

Potato prices in India have increased nearly 50% in a month from March to April.

In a surprising turn of events, the export of potato varieties for processing from India has skyrocketed in January 2024, surging approximately sevenfold.

In a full-blown attack by the disease late blight, more than 50% potato crop in the fields has suffered extensive damage, leading to heavy losses for the farmers who had opted for diversification instead of growing wheat after paddy.

High-altitude areas of district Ramban like Gool, Mahu Mangit and Sanasar could become major potato seed producer areas and make the local farmers self-sufficient.

For the first time, nearly 29 MT of potatoes from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India were exported to Guyana in South America through Farmers Producers Organisation (FPO).

India which is the second-largest producer of potatoes in the world has witnessed a bumper crop in the November–February harvest. And, the farmers are not quite happy with this as the oversupply has brought down the prices, making farmers incur losses.

Export data show that from January to September 2022, India exported about 153,000 tons of fresh or refrigerated potatoes suitable for the production of potato chips, an increase of 42% compared to last year.

Siddhi Vinayak Agri Processing Private Limited has signed MOU with farmers collectives which are supported under the World Bank and Govt of Assam seeded project for rural transformation named APART.

The global agri-food system has been struggling with a series of disruptions caused by various events including drastic climate variabilities, the global pandemic of Covid-19 outburst, and the recent among them is Russia-Ukraine war.