News on The Potato Supply Chain from Asia

Agristo signed an agreement with West Coast Fine Foods for the distribution of its frozen potato Products in India

The government of the Indian State Uttar Pradesh is giving a final shape to its proposed potato development Policy. Uttar Pradesh is looking to augment potato production by 35 percent to achieve 18 million tonnes

Even though farmers in Koraput district have decided to take up potato farming in wake of the recent potato crisis, there are not enough stock of potato seeds in the district.

In Bangladesh, hoarders and wholesalers have started lifting huge quantities of potatoes from cold storages in the district Dinajpur as prices of the vegetable are rising fast in the local markets.

Bending over backwards following pressure from other states and agitations by traders' associations there, the West Bengal government Monday relaxed its ban on export of potatoes

Since potato prices in West Bengal are fixed by state government, smuggling of potatoes to surrounding Indian states that do not have fixed potato prices has become a major issue.

West Bengal state government today started selling potato at Rs 13 a kilo, a price pegged by chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on a day potato traders in Bengal began a 3-day strike to protest the administration’s ban on selling the tuber to other states.

Despite well distributed rainfall in the monsoon, West Bengal, one of the most important potato growing zones in India, is likely to have major down fall in potato yield in next crop season. Courtesy- prevailing post monsoon meteorological disturbances.

Potato prices have almost doubled in most parts of India over the past one week. While most states are yet to take steps to check the spike in prices, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has called a meeting on October 30 to review the situation.

Food industry buyers and professionals in Burma received their first taste of U.S. frozen and dehydrated potato products with the United States Potato Board’s (USPB) participation in the U.S. Food &Beverage Agent Show.

A potato grading and sorting machine has been set up in Bamyan, which is the main supplier of potatoes to Afghanistan’s population.

Bangladesh potato export in the first two quarters until June 2013 fell by 33 per cent compared to the same period of the previous year.

The European Union has granted Lebanon the right to export 50,000 tons of potatoes, reversing a decadelong export prohibition, the Lebanese Agriculture Ministry said Monday.

Potato production in Bangladesh in fiscal year (FY) 2012-13 hit a new record of 8.603 million tonnes surpassing the past record of 8.38 million tonnes in FY'11.

The Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) in Shimla, India's premier potato research institute, has evolved a new technology to prevent conversion of starch into glucose in low temperature conditions, like cold storages.

Farmers from Kannauj and neighbouring areas have been throwing potatoes on the roads here, after a super bumper crop led to huge excess of supply over demand.

SI Solutions has said it is interested in setting up a potato processing unit in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh and requested land for it.

Sri Lanka has increased the tax on imported potatoes from Rs 15 to Rs 25 per kilo (from USD 0.11 to USD 0.19) to protect the interests of local potato farmers.