Potato News from Asia

Punjab potato growers, who dumped their produce on the road last December in protest against low rates, expect a sharp fall in output of the tuber, with 20-30 per cent of the crop getting damaged due to unfavourable weather conditions last month.

A European Union (EU) team is touring Punjab to examine whether the state’s potato crop is pest-free, with the government pushing hard for access to the European market.

Due to a bumper Indian crop available at comparatively low cost in the international market, Pakistani export of the vegetable during the current year has come to a virtual halt causing millions of dollars worth of monthly loss

Potato farmers in West Bengal can look forward to some respite from market volatility next year.

India’s leading potato chips brand, Lay’s from PepsiCo, has joined hands with renowned designer duo Shantanu-Nikhil to launch a new range of baked chips - 'Lay’s Baked', through an exclusive fashion show in Delhi.

Yasheng Group, a high-growth diversified China-based agricultural company with US headquarters in California, recently announced plans to expand farming operations in 2012.

Potato prices have sharply declined as farmers are dumping potatoes onto the market due to lack of return compared to the total input cost, said one farmer on Saturday.

Plummeting potato prices for three consecutive years have prompted farmers to switch to contract farming this season.

The International Potato Center's main partner in Uzbekistan, the National University of Uzbekistan in Tashkent received a US$2.8 million grant from the Government to implement a seed potato multiplication project using the three CIP clones released in the past two years.

Wendy’s Co. re-entered the Japanese market after closing all 71 of its Wendy’s restaurants in the country in December 2009.

Farmers and wholesalers in Jordan have demanded that the government stops the import of potatoes originating in Israel.

Potato farmers in West Bengal are being forced to sell their produce at a much lower price as huge volumes of potatoes are lying at the cold storages.

Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, McCain Foods Limited is the world’s largest producer of French fries and potato specialties with 53 plants on six continents and sales of over CAD$6 billion.

The Punjab government on Sunday announced freight subsidy for transportation of potato crop in domestic as well as export markets, but potato growers turned down the offer saying it would not bail them out.

For a long time, headlines on "potato"and "school lunches"usually addressed the new rules for school lunches discussed in the United States. Here is a different perspective on "potatoes as part of school lunches", from Wes...

Poverty affects 40 percent of people in Bangladesh, and malnutrition is among the highest in the world, with 56 percent of preschoolers underweight. In an effort to combat these alarming numbers, the International Potato Center (CIP) is launching a ne...

The dispute between workers at the potato packaging factory in Vryssoules and their employers will be discussed at the Labour Ministry on Monday. The two sides met at the ministry yesterday and relayed their views to the mediation service. The ministr...

As potato prices hit unexpected low levels in Punjab, growers have asked the state government to offer freight subsidy for marketing the tuber to other states in order to prevent mounting losses. Growers also warned of throwing potato on roads if state...