Have you ever pondered the history of Santana and its journey in India? This article tries to delve into the history this remarkable potato variety.
Santana, a potato variety is renowned for its exceptional processing capabilities in producing fries. This variety’s reputation for its fry-making prowess is widely acknowledged. Worldover, Santana is considered as a premium variety for making fries due to its oblong shape and yellow flesh which gives golden hue to the french fries.
Delving into the backstory of Santana potato unveils a wonderful story of breeding and evolution within the agricultural realm. Santana’s lineage can be traed back to its inception under the hands of “Van Rijn,” who is rumoured to have initially acquired the seeds from Hettema.
The establishment of Van Rijn by the Van Rijn family in 1855 marked the commencement of a journey focused on cultivating and commercializing potatoes, with a strong presence in the ABC Westland region of the Netherlands.
As the potato industry evolved, Santana underwent a transformative phase. Van Rijn sold the potato activities to KWS Group potato in 2010. Subsequently, STET Holland B.V. bought all Santana activities in 2016 from KWS Potato.
Fast forward to the present day, STET assumes the role of Santana’s custodian, holding ownership rights and overseeing the licensing process that enables processors to leverage the variety’s unique attributes. Through strategic partnerships, STET ensures that Santana continues to make a significant impact in the potato processing sector, offering processors the opportunity to harness its potential while honoring its rich lineage and legacy. STET Holland B.V. holds ownership rights which is a protected variety in India till 2035.
The journey of Santana in India staterd in 1997 when McCain’s, a renowned player in the potato industry, unveiled plans to venture into the Indian market with a substantial investment of Rs.1 billion ($25 million) dedicated to the potato fry business. This bold move by McCain’s marked the beginning of Santana’s journey in India, heralding a new era of innovation and growth within the sector.
McCain started a search for the best area for growing the new breeds. That search ended at Mehasana in north Gujarat, as the region was blessed with a stretched wintry condition, which was vital for potato growth and availability of land suitable for contract farming. McCain started setting up a plant in Gujarat in 2005 and started growing 2 varieties that had been shortlisted by their agronomy team after 8 years of research. Soon they realized that selected Indian potato variety was not the ideal one for the business. Potatoes, which were larger in size and had less water content, were required. The Indian potato varieties were not great yielder or storers too.
During this juncture, Technico Agri Sciences emerged as a key collaborator, working closely with McCain India and offering valuable insights to navigate the evolving landscape of the potato industry. Mr. Sachid Madan, the then COO of Technico, played a pivotal role in advocating for Santana, a variety lauded for its excellence in producing high-quality French fries and widely acclaimed in Egypt through its usage by Farm Frites. McCain’s India enthusiastically imported the first batch of Santana potatoes, marking the commencement of Santana’s remarkable journey in India.
MCCain thereafter worked closely with farmers for fast multiplication of Santana and encouraged them to share the new agronomy practices like relying on quality seed, drip and sprinkler irrigation systems, new planting techniques and adopting contemporary methods of potato storing. The Gujarat Government also created a strong micro irrigation, cold storage and electricity support program. Santana can now produce upwards of 50 MT/ha of high quality storable potatoes.
Currently, India is one of the key source of French fries. India, which used to import 6,000 metric tonnes of French fries in 2007 managed to export around 30,000 metric tonnes (MT) of frozen potatoes in 2019 with fries accounting for 95% of the total exports. Today, the largest food processing units of India prefer Santana for fries, majority of the sourcing being from Banaskantha district of Gujarat.
