Gujarat has become India's capital of french fry production, home to huge factories churning out chips, including facilities belonging to Canadian giant McCain Foods and India's biggest maker of French Fries, HyFun Foods.
From Gujarat fries are sent all over over the world. But the most important markets at the moment are in Asia, including the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia, according to Devendra K, who has been studying the potato market for many years.
In February of this year, monthly exports of Indian frozen fries broke the 20,000 tonnes barrier for the first time. In the year to February, India's fry exports totalled 181,773 tonnes, a 45% increase compared with the previous year.
The success is partly down to price.
"Indian frozen fries are noted for being competitively priced in the international market," says Devendra.
He says that in 2024, the average price of Indian fries was even cheaper than those from China.
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Jitesh Patel studied agriculture at university and has been applying science to farming ever since.
Along with friends and family they are continuously trying to improve their potato yield.
"We are a well educated bunch of farmers, so we keep trying new methods," he says.
One of their first innovations, back in 2003, was to switch to a drip system of irrigation, rather than flooding fields with water.
To keep the soil productive the fields are rested over the summer, and fertilised with cow manure.
Their focus now is finding the perfect potato plant.
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While Indian farmers are working on improving their yields, investment is needed elsewhere in the frozen food industry.
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"Only about 10–15% of India's cold storage facilities are suitable for storing frozen foods," says Vijay Kumar Nayak, co-founder of Indo Agri Foods, an exporter of Indian food.
"These facilities are unevenly distributed, heavily concentrated in a few states, leaving rural and remote regions severely underserved.
I know it isn't how the world works, but sheesh, India is exporting food while it has starving people. Horrible hybrid food crops, like modern breeds of wheat are justified as part of the green...
I know it isn't how the world works, but sheesh, India is exporting food while it has starving people.
Horrible hybrid food crops, like modern breeds of wheat are justified as part of the green revolution to feed the world. Well gosh, India can grow enough potatoes to export them.
I'm not up-to-date on Indian agriculture, but I did a news search and found this article interesting: No imports needed: India's wheat harvest defies market speculation And it looks like harvests...
I'm not up-to-date on Indian agriculture, but I did a news search and found this article interesting:
A strong wheat harvest in India is rapidly replenishing stocks, meaning the country will be able to meet domestic demand without imports this year, contrary to market talk that it would need overseas supplies, and a potential drag on global prices.
India banned exports of the staple in 2022 and extended the prohibition as extreme heat shrivelled crops again in 2023 and 2024, draining reserves, pushing prices to record highs and fuelling speculation it would need imports for the first time since 2017.
But things are improving for the world's No.2 wheat producer, with early state inventory purchases signalling that this year's crop is about 4 million tons bigger than last year's, six industry and government officials said.
And it looks like harvests are good for other crops too:
India is set to produce surplus sugar for at least two consecutive years, as millions of farmers expand the area under sugarcane cultivation amid ample rainfall, boosting crop yields, growers and industry officials said.
The rebound in production would allow the world's second-largest sugar producer to increase exports in 2025/26, they said, after poor rainfall cut sugarcane yields and led to two years of export restrictions.
The potatoes used for french fries have a relatively high amount of sugar, but they're probably still healthier than pure sugar.
That is all great news and kudos to India! The carbs in potatoes are not the same carbs that table sugar (monosaccarides) is. Potatoes are quite nutritious. They even have vitamin C. Go to...
That is all great news and kudos to India!
The potatoes used for french fries have a relatively high amount of sugar, but they're probably still healthier than pure sugar.
The carbs in potatoes are not the same carbs that table sugar (monosaccarides) is.
Potatoes are quite nutritious. They even have vitamin C.
Go to cronometer.com and look at the nutrition you get from just 200g of yellow potatoes.
Unsure how true it is, but I've always heard that if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, potatoes will keep you going the longest. Whether or not it is true is irrelevant,...
Unsure how true it is, but I've always heard that if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, potatoes will keep you going the longest.
Whether or not it is true is irrelevant, though what it says is that they're chock-full of vitamins and minerals.
With a generous interpretation of "one food" to mean a whole animal, you can get complete nutrition from a large herbivore with their stomach contents.
With a generous interpretation of "one food" to mean a whole animal, you can get complete nutrition from a large herbivore with their stomach contents.
It’s why the Irish farmed them so intensely before the famine. They were actually relatively healthier than many of the English occupiers because of their potato diet.
It’s why the Irish farmed them so intensely before the famine. They were actually relatively healthier than many of the English occupiers because of their potato diet.
I thought the Irish used potatoes, because they didn't own the land they farmed and the English exported all of the other food they grew. I guess class issues in regards to pre-famine were...
I thought the Irish used potatoes, because they didn't own the land they farmed and the English exported all of the other food they grew.
I guess class issues in regards to pre-famine were involved. Their overlords were probably less physically active than they were.
This is a tangent, but my favorite thing about how (some) fries are made - they are accelerated to 30mph in a water pipe where they hit sharp steel grill and are cut into strips (the good part is...
From the article:
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...
...
I know it isn't how the world works, but sheesh, India is exporting food while it has starving people.
Horrible hybrid food crops, like modern breeds of wheat are justified as part of the green revolution to feed the world. Well gosh, India can grow enough potatoes to export them.
I'm not up-to-date on Indian agriculture, but I did a news search and found this article interesting:
No imports needed: India's wheat harvest defies market speculation
And it looks like harvests are good for other crops too:
India faces two years of sugar surplus, growers and officials say
The potatoes used for french fries have a relatively high amount of sugar, but they're probably still healthier than pure sugar.
That is all great news and kudos to India!
The carbs in potatoes are not the same carbs that table sugar (monosaccarides) is.
Potatoes are quite nutritious. They even have vitamin C.
Go to cronometer.com and look at the nutrition you get from just 200g of yellow potatoes.
Unsure how true it is, but I've always heard that if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, potatoes will keep you going the longest.
Whether or not it is true is irrelevant, though what it says is that they're chock-full of vitamins and minerals.
With a generous interpretation of "one food" to mean a whole animal, you can get complete nutrition from a large herbivore with their stomach contents.
Look at Mark Watney. :-)
It’s why the Irish farmed them so intensely before the famine. They were actually relatively healthier than many of the English occupiers because of their potato diet.
I thought the Irish used potatoes, because they didn't own the land they farmed and the English exported all of the other food they grew.
I guess class issues in regards to pre-famine were involved. Their overlords were probably less physically active than they were.
Well, y'know. Until they very rapidly weren't.
This is a tangent, but my favorite thing about how (some) fries are made - they are accelerated to 30mph in a water pipe where they hit sharp steel grill and are cut into strips (the good part is at 25:30 in case my timestamp link doesn't work).
The link does point to 43:17, but the video is only 43:07 long. Guessing you want somewhere around 24 minutes.
Thanks, fixed it!