Two potato varieties developed by ACI Seed are set to hit the Bangladesh seed market next season. They will enable farmers to produce industrial-grade potatoes that can be used for making ready-to-eat snacks such as French fries and chips.
Typical potatoes like Diamond (white) and Asterix (red), which have been popular among farmers for more than three decades, contain a maximum of 18% dry matter – a key factor for potato processing to make the snacks. However, according to ACI Seed the new potatoes contain more than 22% dry matter, which makes them suitable for both industrial and regular consumption.
The names of the developed varieties are Valencia and Cartagena. ACI said it had developed the potatoes in four years of research after bringing the mother variety from the Netherlands. The new potato varieties offer higher yields, low growing period, low post-harvest losses, more resistance to diseases and more dry content than the typical ones.
