News on The Potato Supply Chain from India

Potato prices are rising in North India due to a lack of supply

The Narendra Modi government (India) on Tuesday decided to bring onions and potatoes under the Essential Commodities Act (ECA) to curb black marketing and hoarding, blamed for recent surge in prices. This will empower states to impose caps on stocks of these two vegetables for traders.

Fries, chips and flakes manufacturers in India are concerned over firm prices of potato, which has seen a jump owing to poor crop this year. Companies assure that an increase in retail price was unlikely to take place in the short run.

The price of potato in some markets in India has jumped 25 per cent in the past four days, due to reports of massive damage of the harvested crop from inclement weather.

The agri division of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, part of the $16.7 billion Mahindra Group, today signed a joint venture agreement with HZPC Holland to offer the best quality seed potatoes to farmers within and outside India.

HZPC Holland bv, wereldleider in aardappelveredeling, heeft vandaag in India met de Mahindra-groep (jaaromzet $16,7 miljard) in Chandigarh een overeenkomst getekend voor de oprichting van een gezamenlijke onderneming.

Potato production in West Bengal is likely to be lower by 10-15 per cent on ‘late blight’ in a quarter of the growing districts.

The continued accumulation of heavy frost on plants for the past few days is feared to have damaged 75% of the tomato crop in the district of Karnal, while potato growers may have suffered losses over 20%.

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.

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.

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.