Farmton Foods Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of Somnath Group, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Gujarat to invest USD 69.5 million in a new greenfield frozen potato processing plant. The agreement was concluded during the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference at Ganpat University in Mehsana.

The facility will have a production capacity of 6.5 tons per hour for French fries and coated fries, and 2.5 tons per hour for hash browns and other potato specialties. Operations are scheduled to begin in 2026, with approximately 80% of production destined for export markets and 20% for domestic distribution.

The project will rely on a large-scale contract farming model, directly involving around 5,500 farmers and drawing from Somnath Group’s wider network of over 8,000 potato growers across Gujarat. Sustainability measures include the use of advanced drip irrigation to cut water consumption by 50% and a zero-waste target by 2030, with all potato peels to be repurposed for animal feed and bioenergy.

With more than 60 years of experience in potato cultivation, Somnath Group manages 8,200 acres of farmland and operates 80,000 metric tons of storage capacity, trading over 75,000 metric tons of potatoes annually.