Desi French Fries to hit market soon

CHANDIGARH: The world's leading fast food giant McDonald's and others in this category will soon find the going tougher for their imported 'French Fries' in the domestic market as a local company is planning to launch next month the country's first indigenously-made French Fries.

Satnam Agro Products, established by farmer-turned-entrepreneur Mandeep Singh has set up a state-of-the-art potato processing plant at a cost of Rs 63 crore at Jalandhar.

Singh is hoping to launch next month French Fries made out of locally grown Chip Sona 1 variety of potato, developed by the Shimla-based Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI).

Satnam has imported the latest machinery from Holland, Germany, Sweden, Turkey for the setting up the plant, which has a capacity of 10 tonne per hour.

Singh said he has grown the Chip Sona 1 variety of potato in his own land as well as through contract farming.

"We bought from CPRI the 'Chip Sona 1', considered to be helpful in making French Fries. We have also bought two more varieties 'Surya' and 'Chip Sona 3' which are under trial," he said.

Satnam Agro has about 2,300 acres of land under contract farming in several districts in Punjab, besides his own 1,000 acres of land for cultivation of this potato variety.