About the Belts
Agra, with neighbouring Firozabad, Mathura, Aligarh and Hathras, has the largest concentration of potato cold stores in India; traders here supply North and Central India and Nepal. Hooghly (Tarakeswar, Singur, Arambagh) and Bardhaman supply Bengal, Odisha, Assam and the Northeast. Deesa in Banaskantha has grown into the main supplier of processing potatoes for chips and frozen fries, with contract farming for companies such as PepsiCo, McCain and HyFun Foods.
- Agra potato beltCold stores and tradeAboutExplore
- Hooghly potato beltWest BengalAboutExplore
- Deesa potato beltGujaratAboutExplore
- McCain Foods (India) Pvt LtdMehsana · frozen potato productsAboutExplore
Crops Traded Here
How Trade Works in an Indian Mandi
Farmers bring produce in tractors, trucks or bullock carts to the market yard, where it is unloaded at the shop of a licensed commission agent (arhtiya or dalal). Buyers, including traders, millers, processors and exporters' agents, inspect the lots and bid in an open or tender auction, or increasingly on the eNAM electronic platform. The winning buyer pays a market fee to the APMC, the commission agent takes a small commission, and the farmer is paid. Weighing, cleaning, grading and loading are done by licensed workers in the yard. Daily arrivals and prices are reported to Agmarknet.
Buying from This Market as an Outside Buyer
Buyers from other states or abroad normally work through a licensed local trader or commission agent, who attends the auctions, checks quality, arranges cleaning, grading, bagging and loading, and bills with GST. Before a first deal, ask for samples, agree on the grade, moisture and tolerance for damaged or foreign matter in writing, and decide who pays for loading, transport and insurance. For exports and food processors, a third-party lab test for moisture, residues or aflatoxin is common. Payment is usually made by bank transfer before dispatch or against documents, and many traders now accept eNAM settlement. Prices change daily, so confirm the rate on the day of loading.
Getting There
Agra is on the Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Kolkata rail routes and the Yamuna Expressway. The Hooghly potato belt is within easy reach of Kolkata by road and suburban rail. Deesa is in Banaskantha district near Palanpur, on the route between Ahmedabad and Rajasthan.
Related: All mandi towns · All crops
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