Potato News from Asia

Current and planned expansion across the globe has led to TOMRA Sorting Food appointing Steven Van Geel its sales director for China.

The Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (Bari) and Peru-based International Potato Centre (CIP) will introduce a late blight resistant potato for use in next season: Bari Potato - 46

The imposition of 25 per cent regulatory duty on potato exports from Pakistan and making its import at zero per cent have yet to make the vegetable cheaper in domestic markets.

Azerbaijan and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) sign an agreement to develop the production of virus-free seed potatoes

According to AKIpress, the Potato Processing Plant that is being constructed in the village of Teploklyuchenka, Ak-Suu district of Issyk-Kul region in Kyrgyzstan is scheduled to start production on 1 December 2014.

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.

Vegit, the agro division of the Rs 950 crore Merino Group which offers ready-to-cook packaged foods, plans to raise capacity of potato flakes facility by 50 per cent to meet growing demand.

Pakistan's Federal Minister for Finance Senator Ishaq Dar said on Monday the government will withdraw all levies and duties on potato import, if its prices in the local market are not brought down to less than Rs30 per kilogramme in the next 72 hours.

The Philippine-based Universal Robina Corporation has teamed up with Japan’s largest snack food company Calbee Inc. to establish a local manufacturing joint venture

The Sri Lanka government introduces guaranteed price for potatoes, onions and dried chili to stimulate growth of the agricultural sector, achieving national food security.

The Agribusiness Project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) organized a week-long training on Seed Potato Production Technologies in Pakistan.

Balaji Wafers Pvt. Ltd is in advanced talks with Capital International Private Equity Funds (CIPEF) to sell nearly 15% in the snacks maker according to two people familiar with the development, who did not want to be named.

Afghanistan would be self-sufficient in potato if proper cultivation and storage strategies were introduced in central Bamyan province, according to an official.

Bühler Group has acquired an 80% stake in Yaoxian Machinery Guangzhou, a Chinese company which is well positioned in Southeast Asia in the market for Asian Pasta production systems.

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.

Emsland Group has announced that Henk Jaap Meijer will be participating as speaker at CMT's 3rd Starch World 2014 on 17-19 Feb, 2014 to be held at Mandarin Oriental Jakarta, Indonesia.