Gujrat, July18,2025: From cotton to crispy fries – the story of Mr. Patel and India’s booming frozen potato industry
Once known for its cotton fields, Gujarat is now making global headlines for something far crunchier—French fries.
Spearheading this transformation is farmer J. Patel, whose journey from struggling cotton grower to successful contract potato farmer is symbolic of India’s quiet food-processing revolution.
The early 2000s brought back-to-back droughts in Gujarat. Patel’s family, traditionally cotton farmers, found their livelihoods crumbling. “We realized we had to shift to a crop that needed less water,” Jitesh recalls.
He turned to potatoes—but not just any potatoes. Initially grown for food consumption, the returns were low. But everything changed in 2007 when companies manufacturing French fries started setting up shop in Gujarat.
Patel began cultivating industrial-grade potatoes suited for fries and chips, a decision that paid off handsomely. Since then, India’s frozen fries sector has witnessed a massive boom.
Today, India is the second-largest potato producer in the world, and its pace in the French fries segment is outstripping global averages.
In February 2025, India’s monthly export of frozen fries crossed 20,000 tonnes for the first time. By that time, total exports for the year had reached 181,773 tonnes—a 45% increase over the previous year.
One key reason? Low prices.
“India’s frozen fries are globally competitive because they’re cheaper—even compared to China,” says Devendra K., a long-time analyst of the potato market in Asia.
Gujarat is now home to some of the biggest players in the fries industry.
These include Canadian giant McCain Foods and India’s largest fry producer, HyFun Foods, which has seven processing plants in the state.
“India has emerged as a major exporter thanks to our agricultural abundance, low-cost manufacturing, and increasing focus on quality,” says HyFun CEO Haresh Karamchandani.
With urbanization, rising incomes, and shifting food habits, demand for frozen food—both at home and in restaurants—has soared.
Jitesh Patel, now an agricultural science graduate, is part of a growing tribe of educated farmers who are blending modern techniques with traditional farming.
He adopted drip irrigation as early as 2003 and uses cow dung manure to keep soil fertile. Patel also lets his fields rest during summer to restore soil health.
“We experiment with different seeds to find varieties that suit our soil and climate,” he says proudly.
Meanwhile, Jain Irrigation Systems, a leading agri-tech firm, is developing tissue-cultured, virus-free potato plants tailored for chips and fries. “Last year, a sugar-content issue turned some fries brown,” explains VP Vijay Singh. “We’re working on new varieties to solve such challenges.”
Despite this progress, experts warn that India’s frozen food industry is being held back by infrastructure limitations.
Only 10–15% of India’s cold storage facilities are suitable for frozen food. “Most are unevenly spread, leaving rural areas underserved,” says Vijay Kumar Nayak, co-founder of Indo Agri Foods.
India also faces a critical shortage of refrigerated trucks and containers, making temperature-controlled transport a logistical nightmare. Add frequent power outages, and the risks of spoilage multiply.
Indian companies must compete with established players from China, Thailand, and Brazil, who enjoy superior logistics and infrastructure. To maintain momentum, India will need to invest heavily in cold storage, reliable electricity, and refrigerated transport.
Despite the hurdles, the mood among farmers like Jitesh Patel is optimistic. French fry manufacturers are now visiting their farms directly.
“Gujarat has become the hub of food processing. We farmers feel secure and profitable now,” says Patel.
From cotton fields to crisp fries, India’s journey in frozen foods proves that with innovation, resilience, and the right support, rural India can feed the world—one fry at a time.
