Potato News from Asia

December 24, 2008

India's potato output in 2008 may be 15% higher

India’s potato output is estimated to rise 15.38 per cent in 2008 owing to the favourable climatic conditions. The total output of the so far evergreen vegetable is likely to rise over 30 million tonnes in 2008 compared to over 26 million tonnes in 200...

December 23, 2008

Arrests in China Potato Starch Production Scam

Police in southwestern Sichuan province arrested three people who bilked 92 million yuan (£9.13 million/13.4 million USD) from more than 1,600 people in a potato starch production scam.The three set up a company promising returns of more than 23 percen...

December 22, 2008

Big losses in potatoes and tomatoes crops in Marib (Yemen) due to cold waves

Around 60 percent of the potatoes and tomatoes crops in al-Wadi and al-Madinh districts of Marib governorate have been damaged due to frost waves. A filed committee of General Authority for Developing Eastern Regions was formed to register damages cau...

December 22, 2008

North Korea is expecting 3 million ton potato harvest

The increase was made possible in large part by support and assistance provided by South Korea, visiting South Korean scholars and agricultural officials noted. Seoul and Pyongyang have held annual symposiums on agricultural science since 2000.

December 20, 2008

Malaysia Palm Oil production update (December 2008)

Malaysia's crude palm oil production rose marginally to 1.7 MMT in November. The palms are showing signs of biological stress. A bigger carry-in stock and an increase in Palm Oil imports resulted in a record level of 2.3 MMT at the end of November.Howe...

December 20, 2008

McDonald's Japan sales top historic mark

McDonald's says it likely will become the first restaurant chain in Japanese history to surpass a half-trillion yen, or $5.6 billion, in yearly sales. Officials of McDonald's Holdings Co. Japan says sales are likely to top 500 billion yen in the 2008 b...

December 17, 2008

Tajikistan: Potatoes are doing well

Tajikistan’s cotton harvest may have fallen well short of its target in 2008, but in at least one district in the Central Asian nation, potatoes are doing very well. Yet officials at the Ministry of Agricultural in Dushanbe insist they will keep growi...

December 15, 2008

Pepsico India to raise area under contract farming for potatoes

Pepsico is planning to increase its sourcing of raw materials in India from contract farming and venture into new states regarding this.The company's foods business unit, Frito-Lay, procures 50 per cent of potatoes, required for making chips and strips...

December 11, 2008

La patata mas grande del mundo

Un agricultor del Líbano ha recogido en uno de sus campos la patata más grande del mundo. Un tubérculo de algo más de once kilos de peso. La enorme patata, con la que a buen seguro se podrá cocinar más de un plato, ha aparecido en un campo del Líbano...

December 11, 2008

'India's share in global potato trade is 0.5 percent'

India may be the third largest potato producer in the world but its contribution to global potato trade is merely half a percent, industry officials and experts participating in the Global Potato Conference said here Thursday.

December 08, 2008

Lebanese harvests potato of 11.3 kilo

A farmer in southern Lebanon has dug up what might be the heaviest potato in the world. "This giant weighs 11.3 kilos (24.9 pounds),"Khalil Semhat told the AFP news agency at his farm near Tyre, 85 kilometres (50 miles) south of Beirut. The ...

November 26, 2008

El futuro de los snacks

Álvaro Sánchez aplica lo que predica. Nunca se priva de alimentos que muchos consideran “chatarra”. Y no lo hace por amor a la bandera sino por convicción, porque, en realidad, se declara atraído por las papas fritas, los Doritos y los Cheetos. Claro q...

November 24, 2008

Analysts see McDonald's Sales growth

Although McDonald's Corp.'s sales may see some pressure from a slower economy in China, Wall Street analysts say the company should still report long-term sales and profit growth in its Asia Pacific region.At an investor meeting Friday detailing its As...

November 17, 2008

Bangladesh looking for huge potato harvest

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has fixed a record target of producing 58,99,250 tonnes of potato from 3,37,100 hectares of land during the current season in all 16 northern districts of the country. The fixed target is much higher than that ...

November 17, 2008

Bhutan potato farmers face strong price fluctuations

As the potato season draws to an close, farmers from Trashigang, the largest potato cultivating dzongkhag in eastern Bhutan, are rushing off to trade their last remains of the season in a bid to obtain the best price.But fluctuations in the price of po...

November 14, 2008

McDonald's opens 1,000th China store

McDonald's Corp said on Friday it had opened its 1,000th store in China in the southern province of Guangdong, and planned to open another 175 stores in the country in 2009."McDonald's will be continuing to invest and build in China at an ever inc...

November 14, 2008

Potato Starch manufacturer China Essence Group reports 39.1% increase in 1H FY2009 Revenue

Chinese Potato Starch Manufacturer China Essence Group reports: Revenue increases 39.1% to RMB359.7 million for 1H FY2009 thanks to stronger potato starch sales and a higher average selling price of potato starch. Gross profit surges 26.1% to...

November 13, 2008

Domestic and multinational food processors thrive in expanding Chinese market

The transition of China's economy from traditional to modern is flourishing as urban economic development draws millions of Chinese residents from the countryside to the city. For many, trips to open markets for fresh produce and to supermarkets for a ...