The potato, a global dietary cornerstone, presents a significant challenge for processors who rely on a consistent, year-round supply for products like French Fries and crisps. With potatoes typically harvested between October and March, processors must store them effectively until the next crop arrives. This fundamental need exemplifies the critical importance of cold storage in the potato processing business. To address this, the industry is increasingly turning towards state-of-the-art cold storage technologies designed to prolong the potato’s usability and minimise waste.
Providing expert perspective on this trend is S Soundararadjane, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HyFarm, a division of Ahmedabad-based HyFunFoods Ltd. Soundararadjane offers a detailed comparison of existing storage methods and explains the benefits driving the adoption of more advanced systems.
Soundararadjane identifies three main types of potato storage: traditional bag cold storage, bulk cold storage, and box cold storage. Bag cold storage, where potatoes are kept in 50-kg bags, typically allows quality storage for six to eight months. In contrast, bulk cold storage and box cold storage are equipped with technology that enables a significantly longer storage duration, capable of preserving potatoes for 10-11 months. While processors may use bag storage for short-term needs, bulk or box storage is preferred for extended periods.
There is a notable difference in cost between these methods. Storing potatoes in bag cold storage costs approximately ₹2.45 per kilogram. Bulk storage is considerably more expensive at approximately ₹5.40 per kilogram, with box storage adding an additional ₹0.20 per kilogram to the bulk cost. Despite the higher price, Soundararadjane points out the key advantage: the ability to store potatoes for a longer term. For HyFarm, five bulk cold stores are sufficient to meet their requirements.
The push towards modern storage is driven by several factors. One significant issue for processors is the potential increase in sugar content in potatoes stored for longer than 10 months, which is not ideal for products like French Fries and crisps. Delays in planting can also lead to supply shortages, causing processing capacity to sit idle. Beyond ensuring consistent supply and managing potato quality characteristics like sugar content, minimising post-harvest losses is a critical concern.
Soundararadjane highlights that potato losses are higher in bag cold storage. The primary reason for this is the substantial reliance on human labour for loading and unloading potatoes stored in bags. This manual handling subjects the potatoes to considerable “turbulence,” which directly contributes to increased losses. To mitigate these losses, processors are increasingly opting for bulk and box cold storage.
This observation aligns with findings from the Central Potato Research Institute – ICAR (CPRI-ICAR) in Shimla. In their “Vision 2050” document, the institute underscored the necessity for improved storage technology. CPRI-ICAR reported overall post-harvest potato losses at 16 per cent, comprising 8.5 per cent in seed potatoes and 7.5 per cent in processing potatoes. They specifically attributed the substantial wastage to the “lack of state-of-the-art cold storage facilities” and the “massive transportation of potatoes”. The institute has set a target to reduce post-harvest losses to 10 per cent by 2050.
Technology plays a crucial role in modern potato storage. Soundararadjane explains that modern cold storage facilities are designed to be as automated as possible. The process often starts at the farm, where potatoes are loaded into large jumbo bags, lifted onto Tipper trucks, and then transferred to a hopper at the storage facility. From the hopper onwards, the entire process, including sorting and storing, is automated. This automation minimises manual labour interference, a major cause of losses in traditional bag storage. With automated handling, quality is better maintained as the potatoes are not repeatedly dropped. This also leads to cost savings, particularly on labour, with Soundararadjane mentioning a saving of ₹16 per bag.
While bag cold storage remains popular, largely due to its lower cost, the concept of modern bulk and box cold storage is gaining traction among processors. In Gujarat, out of roughly 400 cold storages, only 14 are bulk stores and just three are box stores, reflecting the cost consciousness that often favours the cheaper bag storage. However, companies like HyFarm are actively adopting the newer methods, with HyFarm renting four bulk cold storage units. Other major processors are also adapting this concept; McCain India uses box cold storage for potato seeds, and PepsiCo uses box storage for raw materials. Developments in modern cold storage are also occurring in states like Madhya Pradesh, in addition to Gujarat.
A key strategic consideration for processors is the location of these modern cold storage facilities. The focus is increasingly on establishing cold storage near the manufacturing plant. This is because the quality of the potatoes, and subsequently the processed products, can be negatively affected by long transit times. Ideally, potatoes should reach the processing unit within 2-4 hours; a journey of 6-8 hours can impact quality. Soundararadjane emphasises that a primary focus for most companies is building these modern bulk or box cold storages close to, or in the immediate vicinity of, the plant. This proximity is expected to significantly reduce losses. Processors are also exploring centralised cold storage solutions.
Efforts are also underway to make bulk and box cold storage more cost-effective. One potential method to lower storage costs could involve increasing the height of box storage facilities, which could make 30-50 per cent additional space available – a concept Soundararadjane believes “could pick up very well”.
Box cold storage offers a specific advantage in handling: it allows potatoes to be sorted by size – A (small), AA (medium), and AAA (large). This size-wise sorting facilitates the withdrawal of specific materials from storage as needed for different processing purposes. The boxes, often imported from countries like Belgium or Poland, can store between 0.5 and 1.0 tonnes of potatoes each. While setting up box storage requires a significant initial investment, presenting a major challenge, the infrastructure is durable and can last for 10-15 years.
As highlighted by S Soundararadjane and supported by industry reports, the shift towards modern bulk and box cold storage facilities is a crucial evolution for potato processors. By leveraging technology to automate handling, extend shelf life, and strategically locate storage near processing plants, the industry aims to secure a consistent supply of quality potatoes, mitigate post-harvest losses, and meet the year-round demand for processed potato products. While initial investment and cost remain factors, ongoing efforts to optimise these modern storage methods point towards their increasing adoption.
