Potato News from Asia

No doubt the mouths of KFC fans were watering as they made their way to the chain’s branches in Japan last weekend. Unfortunately, many of them had to walk away with less than the full fried satisfaction they’d been hoping when they found out KFC ran out of French fries.

The annual demand for potatoes in Bangladesh is about 9 million tons. The Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA) urged the government to provide a BDT 9 (USD 0.11) subsidy per kilogram of potato stored in various cold storages in the country.

In a recent report USDA-FAS forecasts a fresh potato production in China of 94 million tons for marketing year 2021/22. This is a 5% decrease from the estimated 99 million tons in the previous year, a result of decreased acreage.

PepsiCo invests USD 110 million in a new potato chip plant in Kosi Kalan, Mathura spanning 29 acres. Pepsico will procure 150,000 tons of potatoes from more than 5,000 local farmers. This investment creates 1,500 jobs.

Google is going all out to advertise its next flagship phone around the world. In Japan, it offered 'Google Original (Potato) Chips' to highlight the new Tensor SoC in the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.

The University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) scientists found that dried potato can successfully be used as a cheaper energy source in animal feed formulation and can be added up to 30 percent in ruminant concentrate without any negative effect

Facing excess potatoes, the government of Bangladesh has decided to provide all sorts of support for both export and processing

Dada Group highlighted the current shopping preferences in China, which range from mango-flavored chocolate to sauerkraut-flavored potato chips.

Opening ceremonies of KOPIA Pakistan Centre and Aeroponic Potato Seed Production System was held at NARC Islamabad.

Red Candy, a new potato variety launched by Technico Agri Sciences Ltd, combines early bulking with better storability. This addresses the key concerns of potato growers in e.g. in Bihar and Northern parts of West Bengal.

Kumpir takes first place in this as it is more of a street food that is closely associated with Istanbul’s Ortaköy district. It is a baked potato that gets mashed in its own peel with some butter and chees.

While Japan is home to many great izakaya and other drinking establishments, RTD (ready to drink) canned cocktails are very much a popular way to enjoy a refreshing alcoholic beverage.

India based seed potato company Utkal Tubers is focused on the development of high yielding disease resistant varieties.

B.E.P.P CO is a potato chip manufacturer from Iraq that offers natural potato chip products under the following brands: Mr.Krisper and Mito. To optimize potato quality, B.E.P.P CO opened this season a new state-of-the-art potato storage facility that can provide optimal conditions for potatoes for processing at all times.

Technico Agricultural Sciences Limited (TASL), India has been carrying out extensive varietal evaluation trials under its Varietal Advancement program across the potato producing states in the country.

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, have developed a computational model for automated disease detection in potato crops using photographs of its leaves.

Recently Mahindra HZPC brought 30 more potato varieties from HZPC to India. They include HZPC's Perupas, an assortment of colourful varieties, rich in antioxidants for healthy lifestyle. The recently introduced varieties are expected to give rise to new and differentiated supply chains, especially in the modern retail space.

Global food processing and packaging solutions provider, tna solutions, has announced the appointment of Magdy El Dessouky as General Manager for North Africa.