Actual cost of the sauce and chips that you eat

In support of 100% FDI in retail, Rahul Gandhi has said that potato farmers get less than 10% of the cost of a packet of potato chips. FDI in the segment would ensure that this share rises much higher, he said.

But how much of what we pay for the food in our everyday life goes to the farmer? ET on Sunday compares the prices we pay for the food we eat every day, with how much the farmer makes.

Cost of a 1-kg bottle of Kissan tomato ketchup: Rs 102

What we pay for tomatoes in sauce: Rs 364 per kg

What farmers currently get: less than Rs 8 per kg

That is 2% of the cost of a bottle of ketchup

Cost of a 60-g bag of Lays Chips (plain salted): Rs 20

What we pay for potatoes in chips: Rs 434 per kg

What farmers currently get: around Rs 2 per kg

That's 0.6% of the cost of a bag of chips


(Tomato paste is 28% by weight of ketchup. Assume 46 g by weight of potatoes in a bag of chips.)