Potato News from Asia

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.

Kyrgystan's new agency Akipress reports that a potato processing plant in Issyk-Kul region will produce potato flour and starch initially, referring to a report of the Economy Ministry.

Food &beverages giant PepsiCo India is believed to have backed out of the race to buy a stake in Rajkot-based Balaji Wafers.

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.

Snacks maker Frito Lay has been fined almost 18 million Turkish Liras (8.8 million USD) by Turkey’s competition board over single-product loyalty discount allegations.

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.

PepsiCo Inc., the world’s largest snack-food maker, is among suitors exploring a bid for India’s Balaji Wafers Pvt as it pushes to sell more chips in developing countries, said two people familiar with the matter.

Indian snack maker Balaji Wafers is in separate talks with private-equity funds, including Blackstone Group and Actis, to raise between $100 million and $125 million.

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

McCain Foods India Pvt. Ltd is having a strong India presence in frozen and ready-to-cook foods. Vikas Mittal, MD, McCain Foods India and subcontinent region, in a conversation with Ashwani Maindola, talks about the company’s India presence.