Error in Makefile with SVG vector images in the template

[mxochicale]

Having an SVG file in the path 1_introduction as follow:

$ tree
.
├── figures
│   ├── jpg
│   │   └── largepotato.jpg
│   └── svg
│       └── largepotato.svg
└── introduction.tex

and calling the SVG file as

\begin{figure}[htb]
  \centering
  %\includegraphics[width=1\columnwidth]{jpg/largepotato}
  \includegraphics[width=1\columnwidth]{svg/largepotato}
  \caption[A common glucose polymers]{\textbf{A common glucose polymers} - The figure shows starch granules in potato cells, taken from 
  \href{http://molecularexpressions.com/micro/gallery/burgersnfries/burgersnfries4.html}{Molecular Expressions}.}
  \label{fig:largepotato}
\end{figure}

Makefile produce an error:

$ make
NOTE: You may ignore warnings about the following files:

     thesis.d

Makefile:2824: thesis.d: No such file or directory
= thesis.tex --> thesis.d thesis.pdf.1st.make (0-1) =
make: *** No rule to make target 'svg/largepotato', needed by 'thesis.d'. Stop.

and partial output of thesis.d

269 .SECONDEXPANSION:
270 # MISSING stem "svg/largepotato" - allowed extensions are ".tikz,.TIKZ,.TikZ,.pgf,.PGF,.png,.jpg,.jpeg,.pdf,.gif,.eps" - leave comment here - it affects the build
271 -include svg/largepotato.gpi.d

I am wondering if I am missing some configuration parameter in the Makefile, which indeed has the following rule:

# Converts svg files into .eps files
#
# $(call convert-svg,<svg file>,<eps/pdf file>,[gray])
convert-svg	= $(INKSCAPE) --without-gui $(if $(filter %.pdf,$2),--export-pdf,--export-eps)='$2' '$1'

Thanks for your help and time!