KF Bio plans to set up firm for potato seeds, tubers

KF Bio Plants, an exporter of products like plant embryos, tissue culture plants, cuttings, tubers and seeds, plans to focus on potato tubers as there is a huge demand for potatoes globally.

The company is also planning to start an independent company for production of potato seedlings and mini tubers in Pune, possibly in 2008. The company expects the turnover for potatoes to touch Rs 250 crore by 2008.

"This potato project is being supported by the Dutch government with a capital subsidy of Rs 5 crore under their global promotion campaign for providing subsidy to the upcoming and innovative projects worldwide," said Manish Jain, director, Kumar Properties - construction and biotechnology.

The company was currently supplying potato tubers to four companies such as, McCann, French Fries, Meijers and Mahindra Shubh Labh. We would be exporting potato seedlings and minitubers to SriLanka, Pakistan and Taiwan and enter contract farming later," he added.

KF Bio plants has set up a Rs 22 crore laboratory on three hectares of land at Manjari near Pune for the commercial nursery for flowers such as gerberas, anthuriuma, zanthedeschias, orchids, lilys and curcumas.

The nursery will also grow potato tubers and banana plants. The company recently bagged an export order of about one million gerbera plants to Columbia. KF Bio also has an association with Florist de Kwakel from Holland, Hilverda plant technologies, Holland, Deroose plants, Belgium, McCain foods, Canada among others.

KF Bio dominates the Rs 25 crore flower planting material market with turnover of of Rs 18 crore in the current fiscal.

Said Manish Jain, "The Manjari plant will supplement our other facility at Mundhwa. We have around 26 thousand square feet laboratory unit spread across two hectors at Mundhwa and will see a increase production from 22 million plants to about 50 million plants by next month."