Agristo, the Flemish producer of fries and potato-based products, officially launched the construction of a new fries production line at its Bijnor site in Uttar Pradesh, India, on Sunday.
Princess Astrid was present to symbolically break ground as part of the economic mission she is leading this week in the world’s fifth-largest economy.
On Sunday afternoon, the delegation visited the Agristo Masa factory, accompanied by Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot and Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele. Numerous journalists from India and Belgium were also in attendance.
The Bijnor site is Agristo’s first venture outside Europe. From this site, the company supplies both national and international markets, including North America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Japan.
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The facility began operations in July 2022, following an investment of just over €25 million to build a potato flakes factory. A new investment of €80 million will bring the total to over €105 million and quintuple the potato processing capacity, enabling fry production by 2026.
The factory has already doubled potato crop productivity from 17 tonnes per hectare to 32 tonnes per hectare, one of the highest yields in India. Over 2,500 farmers are expected to benefit from this expansion.
The site currently employs around 150 people, a number set to double following the expansion. Agristo aims to produce frozen fries, anticipating significant potential in the Indian market of over a billion people.
