Potato growers in the Benguet area of the Philippines hoping to clinch a niche in the lucrative French fries market are still facing challenges.

Thanks to experts from the Benguet State University (BSU), the province’s farms have a range of potato varieties including Igorota, Solibao, Ganza, and Bengueta, which have the dry matter content for yellow, crispy and tasty fries. However, according to the Northern Philippines Root Crops Research and Training Center (NPRCRTC) at BSU, the strict quality criteria of multinational food chains have kept the province’s potato growers from carving a slice of the market.
Despite the aspiration of farmers, and the province producing most of the country’s supply of potatoes orders for potatoes to be made into chips or fries are way below those imported by giant fast-food chains like Jollibee and McDonald’s. However, some farmers believe that even if big companies were to give local potato varieties a fighting chance, the ability of local farmers to package and supply the volume needed for French fries remains suspect.