Snack it up
Jaideep Mukherjee fills in the details on the entry of
McCain Foods into the Indian potato processing industry
Our company, McCain Foods, the
world's largest producer of frozen
french fries, is gearing up to feel at
home in the Indian subcontinent, with its first
potato processing plant in the country coming
up in Gujarat with an investment of Rs 70
crore. The plant, which is scheduled to be
operational in the second half of 2006, would
have a processing capacity of 30,000 tonnes
and is McCain's 57th potato processing
facility in the world. Built on the most
contemporary international standards, this
facility would adopt the HACCP and GMP
systems and aims to produce 14,000 tonnes of
french fries and other potato specialities.
McCain's USP
The remarkable success and global leadership
of our company is built on four critical
parameters of sustained investment in potato
agronomy, a win-win partnership with farmers,
technological edge and product innovation
and investment in new markets to build
distribution and create demand for its
products. McCain employs more agronomists
than any other potato processing company in
the world and invests substantial time and
resource upfront in agricultural research and
development. The focus is on finding the
right growing area, the suitable potato variety
and the appropriate farming practices in
collaboration with farmers. Further, we buy
directly from individual farmers and are strong
promoters of contract farming. This eliminates
the middlemen and ensures benefits for both,
farmers and us. Technological edge is yet
another advantage that the company enjoys.
McCain's Potato Processing Technology
Centre in Canada ensures continued industry
leadership in product quality, processing
technology and efficiency and new
product development.
The Indian venture -
A market study
McCain's choice of North Gujarat for its first
plant in India follows extensive agronomy
trials to identify the area with best potential
to grow french fry quality potatoes with use of
improved agronomy practices. Beginning in
1998, McCain's agronomy programme
evaluated several potato-growing areas: West-
Uttar Pradesh, Central-Uttar Pradesh, Punjab
and West Bengal, including Gujarat and
Madhya Pradesh. The preliminary results from
variety trials and CropMET programme
favoured North Gujarat (24.32 N latitude,
72.32 E longitudes with a mean height of 189
metres above sea level) as the region with best
potential for French fry raw material in the
country. This was coupled with the region's
good climatic conditions to produce process
quality raw material in terms of good solids,
good yield and low tuber defects and
consistent growing conditions. Also McCain
expects prospects of increased availability of
irrigated agricultural land, once the Narmada
canal irrigation programme is fully
implemented. The enterprising nature and
enthusiasm of the potato farmers of Gujarat
also played an important role in its final
decision to focus exclusively on the growing
areas in Gujarat (Deesa, Vijapur, Ladol,
Degam, Kheda and Anand) from 2002.
Finance and expertise
McCain Foods Limited, Canada, is funding
the entire project as Foreign Direct
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