News on Potato Trade from Asia

India, now the world’s second-largest potato producer, is rapidly expanding its exports of frozen potato products, driven by innovation and strategic market positioning. With record-breaking production and ongoing research, the country aims to become the top global potato exporter by 2050.

The Global Potato Summit 2025 in Greater Noida will focus on sustainability, technology, and growth opportunities in the potato industry. It will feature exhibitions, conferences, live demos, and networking to address key sector challenges.

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.

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.

Calbee Group has partnered with the Shiretoko Shari Agricultural Cooperative to secure a stable supply of potatoes. As part of their collaboration, the agricultural cooperative plans to build a new frozen processing facility, aimed at enhancing production and ensuring consistent potato supply for Calbee's operations.

The Union of Potato and Vegetable Growers of the Republic of Kazakhstan, summing up the results of 2024 noted an increase in the potato harvest and its stable export demand

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

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.

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.

With domestic production down by 1.2 million tons, potato imports have become crucial as political unrest, a government change, and severe flooding further strain the situation.

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

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.

High input cost and unfavorable weather hit potato output in Bangladesh, with late blight causing added damage.

After Cyclone Michaung, heavy rains caused crop damage, leading to a decrease in supply and subsequent price spikes. Potato prices may remain high until the affected areas recover their potato production capacity.

With national elections scheduled for January 7, 2024, the Bangladesh government has implemented measures to address the alarming surge in potato prices.

Bangladesh Commerce Ministry, in a report, says high prices are the result of price manipulation by a syndicate of cold-storage owners.

Following a satisfactory experience with exporting potatoes to the United Arab Emirates in recent weeks, several other Gulf states are now lining up to buy the starchy vegetable produced from the farms of the Kurdistan Region