India’s potato-product exports more than doubled to Rs 2,900 crore

India’s potato-product export value more than doubled from Rs 1,300 crore in FY 2022 to Rs 2,900 crore in FY 2024, as volume rose 16.43% to 706,391 metric tonnes. Directorate General of Foreign Trade data show that export value rose much faster than tonnage while destination patterns changed, including newly recorded exports to Bangladesh.

How did India’s potato-product export value more than double?

India’s potato-product export value increased by Rs 1,600 crore, or 123.08%, between FY 2022 and FY 2024. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade recorded export value of Rs 1,300 crore in FY 2022, Rs 2,000 crore in FY 2023 and Rs 2,900 crore in FY 2024. The annual growth rate slowed from 53.85% in FY 2023 to 45% in FY 2024, but the value increase continued.

Export volume grew more gradually over the same period. India exported 606,674 metric tonnes in FY 2022, 609,361 metric tonnes in FY 2023 and 706,391 metric tonnes in FY 2024. The FY 2023 increase was only 2,687 metric tonnes, yet export value rose by Rs 700 crore; FY 2024 then added 97,030 metric tonnes and Rs 900 crore of value.

The available FY 2025 data are partial and should not be compared directly with full financial years. From April to October FY 2025, India exported 460,069 metric tonnes worth Rs 2,100 crore. The seven-month result had already reached 72.41% of FY 2024 export value and 65.13% of FY 2024 volume, although the source does not provide a full-year FY 2025 estimate.

What is driving India’s potato-product export value growth?

India’s higher potato-product export value is associated in the source with processed and value-added products rather than raw potatoes. The export basket includes frozen and chilled potatoes, potato starch and seed potatoes, which the source says command higher prices than raw potatoes. A larger contribution from these categories can therefore increase export value without a proportional increase in total tonnage.

The supply of processing potatoes differs from the supply of table potatoes because of dry-matter content. Processing potatoes can have dry matter of up to 25%, compared with around 15% for regular table potatoes, and the source links higher dry matter with crisp texture, taste and shelf life. Kufri Chipsona-1 has dry matter of 25.66%, while the table variety Kufri Jyoti has dry matter of 16.66%.

Contract farming is another mechanism cited in the source for supplying processors with specified potato varieties. Santana is used for French fries, while Chipsona varieties are used for chips, flakes, starch and powder; Frysona yields 35 to 40 tonnes per hectare in Gujarat. Seed supply, agronomy guidance and assured procurement can support processors, but export growth also depends on storage, processing and compliance with international quality standards.

Operation Greens, the government programme for tomatoes, onions and potatoes, is identified by the source as supporting storage, transportation and processing. Cold storage and logistics are particularly relevant to frozen and chilled potato products because quality must be maintained from farms through processing plants to export markets. The reported increase in export value therefore depends on both product mix and the cold-chain capacity needed to preserve that mix.

Which export markets changed for India’s potatoes?

India’s potato exports became less concentrated in Nepal in FY 2024, although Nepal remained the largest destination in the source’s country data. Nepal’s share of India’s potato exports fell from 48% in FY 2023 to 34% in FY 2024. Its import volume from India declined by 57,850 metric tonnes, from 294,733 metric tonnes to 236,883 metric tonnes, while India’s total export volume increased by 97,030 metric tonnes.

Oman and Bangladesh added to the change in market mix. India’s exports to Oman increased from 39,107 metric tonnes in FY 2023 to 43,739 metric tonnes in FY 2024, with FY 2024 value of Rs 103.40 crore. Bangladesh recorded 71,789 metric tonnes worth Rs 91.74 crore in FY 2024 after no recorded exports in the preceding two years, providing a sizeable additional destination even though it remained below Nepal’s 236,883 metric tonnes.

How does India’s import trend compare with export growth?

India’s potato-product import volume declined while import value increased between FY 2022 and FY 2024. Import volume fell 12.08%, from 8,741 metric tonnes to 7,685 metric tonnes, while import value rose from Rs 28.7 crore to Rs 51.4 crore. This differs from the export trend, where both volume and value increased, with export value reaching Rs 2,900 crore in FY 2024.

The source attributes the higher import value despite lower volume to the mix of imported products and higher prices per unit. Imported products include frozen potato products, specialty starches and other derivatives, rather than large volumes of raw potatoes. In April to October FY 2025, India imported 3,838 metric tonnes worth Rs 26.3 crore, which remains a partial-year figure.

India’s import partners were small relative to its export market in FY 2024. Bhutan supplied imports valued at Rs 10.8 crore, Bangladesh supplied Rs 1.4 crore and Nepal supplied Rs 1.7 crore. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade has extended unlicensed potato imports from Bhutan until June 30, 2027, a policy intended to allow supply management during domestic shortages or price pressure.

What must continue for India’s export growth to persist?

India’s potato-product export growth requires continued availability of processing-grade potatoes, adequate cold storage and consistent product quality. The source distinguishes processing varieties from table potatoes through dry matter, with Kufri Himsona at 25.33% and Kufri Pukhraj, a table variety, at 18.00%. Those crop characteristics affect the suitability of potatoes for fries, chips, flakes and other processed products.

Market diversification also matters because Nepal’s FY 2024 imports fell as India’s total potato exports increased. Bangladesh’s 71,789 metric tonnes and Oman’s 43,739 metric tonnes provided alternative demand in FY 2024, but neither approached Nepal’s 236,883 metric tonnes. Sustained export growth would therefore require continued access to multiple markets alongside the processing, cold-storage and logistics systems described in the source.

Conclusion

India’s potato-product exports show a marked increase in value alongside a smaller increase in volume. Export value rose from Rs 1,300 crore in FY 2022 to Rs 2,900 crore in FY 2024, while volume rose from 606,674 metric tonnes to 706,391 metric tonnes. The source connects this outcome with processed product categories and a changing destination mix as Nepal’s share declined and Bangladesh became a recorded market.

The next measure to watch is the full FY 2025 result, because April to October FY 2025 exports were worth Rs 2,100 crore on volume of 460,069 metric tonnes. The source also identifies Operation Greens, cold-storage development, processing capacity and contract farming arrangements as mechanisms supporting the sector; whether these maintain reliable processing-grade supply and quality will affect the continuation of higher-value exports.