Potato News from India

Agra may be famous for its monuments, but it also holds 7% of India's cold storage capacity - more than in the whole of Punjab. Almost all of it is used to store potatoes. How did the city and surrounding areas become India's cold storage hub and what...

Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has advised farmers to sell potato stocks stored in cold storage judiciously during October and November, to fetch better returns.

The problem of glut of potatoes causing heavy losses to farmers can now be reduced drastically as the Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET) has standardized a technology for using any quality potatoes for the production of cattle feed of high nutritional value.

The horticulture department and Krishi Vignana Kendra had organised a demonstration of spraying pesticides in Narasipura in the wake of spread of blight disease for potato crop under Salagame hobli in the taluk recently.

With the prices of potato soaring, the West Bengalgovernment Saturday started selling the tuber from ration shops in the city and satellite town of Salt Lake.

Hurt by the steep price fluctuation in the mass variety of potatoes (Jyoti variety), farmers in West Bengal are taking to the production of Chandramukhi – a premium category of the tuber – to earn steady returns.

In a bid to enhance shelf-life of potatoes, Gujarat will soon set up its first potato dehydration centre in Palanpur town with a handling capacity of 500 kg per hour.

Potato prices are expected to remain firm for the next few months in West Bengal. Prices have gone up by almost 34% for regular variety of potato over the last few months.

Processed food player McCain Foods Pvt Ltd is set to double its retail network in India from the current 4,500 to 9,000-10,000.

The West Bengal government (India) would revamp the ailing potato seeds institute at Kalimpong to keep its supply line intact for the benefit of farmers in the state without depending on Punjab or Haryana.

McCain Foods Pvt Ltd will bring 8,000 acres under potato cultivation in Gujarat (India) by 2014.

The Domestic and Export Market Intelligence Cell of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has asked farmers to sell potato on harvest as there were less chances of price increasing.

Roquette, one of the global leaders in the starch industry announced today in Lestrem (Pas-de-Calais, France) the acquisition of the 3 starch production sites of the leading Indian starch manufacturer, Riddhi Siddhi Gluco Biols Ltd. Roquette takes the ...

The Karnataka Government has announced a Rs 17.5-crore special package for potato growers of seven districts, who have suffered crop loss due to destruction by pests.

The government may be pressing the panic buttons due to spiralling food prices, but it failed to read the writing on the wall five months ago when thousands of farmers across Haryana, Punjab and UP set ablaze hundreds of tonnes of potatoes on the streets to protest low prices and mounting losses due to a glut.

The Chief Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India's biggest food processing plant ‘Himalya Fresh' near Vadnagar of Mahesana district today.

With potato prices at Rs 20 a kg in retail in the domestic market, traders from northern India have started to import Pakistani potatoes that are 20% to 40% cheaper.

After plummeting to a record low two months back, the retail price of potatoes has risen sharply due to lower supplies.