How India became a french fry superpower

Priti GuptaTechnology ReporterJitesh PatelJitesh Patel’s farm enterprise has prospered since switching to potatoesFrench fries turned across the fortunes of Jitesh Patel.He comes from a household of farmers in Gujarat within the northwest of India. Historically they grew cotton, however the returns had been poor. Droughts in 2001 and 2002 made the scenario worse and the Patels knew issues needed to change. “We realised that we needed to begin rising one thing that doesn’t require lot of water,” Mr Patel says.So, they experimented with potatoes. Initially they tried desk potatoes; the sort accessible in native markets and cooked at house, however the returns weren’t a lot better than cotton.Spurred by the arrival of french fry makers of their state, in 2007 they began rising the forms of potato utilized by the meals trade. It turned out to be a profitable technique.”Since then, no trying again,” says Mr Patel.Mr Patel is a part of India’s rise to potato superpower standing. It’s already the world’s second largest spud producer.Nevertheless it’s the export market, notably of french fries, that is actually flying. Gujarat has develop into India’s capital of french fry manufacturing, house to very large factories churning out chips, together with amenities belonging to Canadian big McCain Meals and India’s largest maker of French Fries, HyFun Meals.From Gujarat fries are despatched throughout over the world. However an important markets in the mean time are in Asia, together with the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia, in response to Devendra Ok, who has been learning the potato market for a few years. In February of this yr, month-to-month exports of Indian frozen fries broke the 20,000 tonnes barrier for the primary time. Within the yr to February, India’s fry exports totalled 181,773 tonnes, a forty five% enhance in contrast with the earlier yr.The success is partly down to cost.”Indian frozen fries are famous for being competitively priced within the worldwide market,” says Devendra. He says that in 2024, the typical value of Indian fries was even cheaper than these from China. For the french fry makers, it is increase time.”India has emerged as a big participant and exporter as a result of its ample agricultural produce, cost-effective manufacturing, and rising concentrate on high quality requirements,” says Haresh Karamchandani, CEO of HyFun Meals.HyFun has seven crops processing potatoes in Gujarat with one other two coming on-line by 2026.”Urbanisation, growing disposable incomes and altering existence have promoted the consumption of frozen meals, not solely within the family but additionally in meals service institutions,” says Mr Karamchandani.HyFun FoodsThe northwestern state of Gujarat is a hub for potatoes and french friesMeeting that demand has required a long time of innovation from farmers.Jitesh Patel studied agriculture at college and has been making use of science to farming ever since. Together with family and friends they’re repeatedly attempting to enhance their potato yield.”We’re a effectively educated bunch of farmers, so we hold attempting new strategies,” he says.One in every of their first improvements, again in 2003, was to change to a drip system of irrigation, slightly than flooding fields with water.To maintain the soil productive the fields are rested over the summer season, and fertilised with cow manure.Their focus now’s discovering the proper potato plant.”We’re within the strategy of experimenting with seeds and shortly we could have a brand new selection,” he says. Jain Irrigation Methods is a big agricultural expertise firm. In addition to promoting irrigation gear, it has groups of technicians growing seeds for agriculture, together with potato crops.They use a set of methods often known as tissue tradition. It is a means of cloning crops, with fascinating traits and eliminating illness. It includes rising small items of plant tissue in a managed laboratory atmosphere to create virus-free plantlets. These plantlets can then be used to supply extra seed potatoes via strategies like taking cuttings.”Potato seeds destined for future seed manufacturing bear meticulous breeding practices underneath the supervision of breeders,” says Vijay Singh, vp of promoting on the firm.One subject they’re tackling in the mean time considerations a wide range of potatoes used to make chips. Farmers discovered that by November the potato crop begins to go brown due to its sugar content material. “Corporations like us who’re into tissue tradition try to provide you with a brand new selection to beat the challenges that the trade is going through,” says Mr Singh.HyFun FoodsHyFun Meals has seven potato processing crops in GujaratWhile Indian farmers are engaged on enhancing their yields, funding is required elsewhere within the frozen meals trade.Particularly, corporations want to have the ability to retailer and transport items at sub-zero temperatures.Trendy chilly storage amenities have been constructed, however extra are wanted.”Solely about 10–15% of India’s chilly storage amenities are appropriate for storing frozen meals,” says Vijay Kumar Nayak, co-founder of Indo Agri Meals, an exporter of Indian meals. “These amenities are inconsistently distributed, closely concentrated in a number of states, leaving rural and distant areas severely underserved.Transportation is an issue as effectively. “There’s a notable scarcity of specialized refrigerated vans and containers, making temperature-controlled transportation extraordinarily troublesome and growing the chance of spoilage,” he says. A dependable electrical energy provide can also be important.”Frequent energy outages in lots of components of the nation enhance the probabilities of spoilage and make working a dependable frozen meals provide chain a frightening activity,” says Mr Nayak.”Indian corporations face intense competitors in export markets from international locations like China, Thailand and Brazil. These nations profit from extra superior logistics, infrastructure, and manufacturing techniques,” he factors out.Again at his Gujarat farm Mr Patel is blissful that the chip makers moved in. “Gujarat has develop into a meals processing hub. Many of the farmers, together with me, have develop into contract farmers which supplies us safety and good cash for our yield,” he says.Extra Know-how of Enterprise