Butwal, Nov. 16 -- French fries made in Butwal from Nepali potatoes are being exported to the United States, marking a new milestone for Nepal's processed food industry.

Within the next two months, 41 tonnes of "Himalayan Crisp" and "Hamro Fries" brand frozen potato chips, produced using modern European technology, will be transported by road from Bhairahawa to Kolkata and then shipped by sea to the United States. Two containers reached the Kolkata port last week.

From Kolkata, the shipment takes around 55 days to reach the US, said Krishna Paudel, director of First Choice Foods Pvt Ltd, the manufacturer. The company, established five years ago in Shuddhodhan Rural Municipality-5 of Rupandehi, has been operating commercially for a year....