What began as an experiment to survive drought has now turned into a booming success story for Jitesh Patel, a farmer from Gujarat, whose decision to grow potatoes for the frozen food industry has not only changed his life but also helped put India on the map as a significant exporter of French fries.
Coming from a family of cotton farmers, Patel faced tough times in the early 2000s as low returns and back-to-back droughts in 2001 and 2002 pushed the family to the brink. “We realised we had to start growing something that doesn’t require a lot of water,” he recalled. The family initially turned to table potatoes, commonly used in households, but soon discovered the returns weren’t much better than cotton.
The game-changer came in 2007 when French fry manufacturing companies set up operations in Gujarat. The Patels began growing industrial-grade potatoes used for frozen fries, and the returns dramatically improved. “Since then, no looking back,” said Patel, now one of many farmers riding India’s wave of frozen fry exports.
India is already the world’s second-largest potato producer, but it’s the rise in French fry exports that has captured global attention. Gujarat has emerged as the epicentre of this transformation, home to massive factories owned by international players like McCain Foods and domestic leaders like HyFun Foods. These facilities churn out frozen fries that are shipped across the globe, with key markets including the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia.
According to potato industry analyst Devendra K, India exported over 181,000 tonnes of frozen fries in the year leading up to February 2025—a 45% jump from the previous year. February alone saw monthly exports breach the 20,000-tonne mark for the first time. Competitive pricing has played a big role in this surge, with Indian fries reportedly even cheaper than their Chinese counterparts in 2024.
Haresh Karamchandani, CEO of HyFun Foods, attributes the growth to India’s cost-effective production, abundant raw materials, and growing emphasis on quality. HyFun currently runs seven potato processing units in Gujarat and plans to add two more by 2026. He also credits urbanisation and rising disposable incomes for boosting the demand for frozen foods in both households and restaurants.
This shift has demanded continuous innovation at the farm level. Patel, who studied agriculture at university, is among a generation of educated farmers applying scientific methods to maximise yield. From adopting drip irrigation in 2003 to rotating crops and enriching soil with organic manure, Patel and his network of farmers are always testing new ways to improve.
The search for the ideal potato variety is ongoing. Patel’s team is experimenting with seeds and working toward developing a better-yielding, more resilient variety. Companies like Jain Irrigation Systems are supporting this effort through tissue culture—a method of producing disease-free plantlets under lab conditions to improve seed quality.
However, challenges remain. While farms are progressing, India’s frozen food industry needs significant investment in cold storage and transport infrastructure. Only 10–15% of existing cold storage units are fit for frozen food, and they are concentrated in limited regions. According to Vijay Kumar Nayak, co-founder of Indo Agri Foods, the lack of refrigerated transport and unreliable electricity in rural areas increases the risk of spoilage and undermines supply chain reliability.
India also faces tough competition from countries like China, Brazil, and Thailand, which benefit from superior logistics and infrastructure. Despite these hurdles, farmers like Jitesh Patel remain optimistic. “Gujarat has become a food processing hub. Most of the farmers, including me, have become contract farmers, which gives us security and good money for our yield,” he said. From drought-driven desperation to global recognition, it’s been a remarkable journey—one that began with a humble potato.
