June 6 2008, 09:47

Global potato production in 2007 amounted to 320 mln.

Being the integral part of the global food structure, potato is the product #1 among other non-grain crops in the world. The global production of potato reached the record volume of 320 mln. tons in 2007. Potato consumption is getting wide in the developing contrives, which nowadays gather more than a half of the global potato harvest. The easy production and high caloric value let potato be the highly important agricultural crop, which is able to bring real profits to millions of farmers, RBC informs.

The potato cultivation sector is undergoing serious changes in the world. Till 90ies the most part of potato was grown and consumed in Europe, Northern America and the countries of the former USSR. The potato production and demand for this product significantly increased later in the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America; the production volume has increased from less than 30 mln. tons in the beginning of the 60s to 165 mln. tons in 2007. FAO data prove, in 2005 the volume of potato production in the developing countries has exceeded the respective parameter in the countries of the developed world for the first time. At the present moment China is the largest potato producer; almost one third of the global potato harvest is allocated for China and India.

Asia and Europe are the leading regions - potato producers; more than 80% of the global production of this crop was allocated for these regions. The potato harvest was less significant in Africa and Latin America; but, the production parameters reached the record levels there. Northern America was a doubtless leader of the yield: this parameter reached more than 36 tons/ha on this continent.

Asia consumes almost one half of the global potato; but, the consumption per capita was just 25 kg in 2005 because of the huge population of the continent. Europeans eat the greatest volumes of potato. The lowest level of consumption is observed in the countries of Africa and Latin America; but, this level is increasing, FAO informs.

Potato is grown in the various conditions in Africa - there are the irrigated commercial farms in Egypt and Southern Africa and the intensive cultivation of this crop on the tropical highlands of Eastern and Central Africa, where potato is the agricultural crop for small farmers in general. The production has been constantly increasing in the recent decades; potato production zoomed up from 2 mln. tons in 1960 up to the unprecedented 16.5 mln. tons in 2006.

Egypt is the main potato producer on African continent. The global production has increased from 1.6 tons up to almost 2.6 mln. tons during 1990-2007. Also, Egypt belongs to the leading global exporters of potato - the gross exports amounted to more than 380,000 tons of fresh potato and 18,000 tons of the frozen potato. These products were mostly directed to European markets.

Potato production in the Northern America is concentrated in two countries, the USA and Canada, which respectively occupy the fifth and 13th places in the list of the world largest potato producers (Bermudian islands, the closest competitor of the USA and Canada in the region, produced just 1,100 tons). Starting from 1990, both countries have provided the significant increase of the volumes of potato production (today the average parameter of the US harvest is 40,000 tons). Both countries are the large exporters of the products based on frozen potato.

Ukraine occupies the fourth place in the world as potato producer; it yields just to China, Russian Federation and India. Potato consumption in the country is very high - 140 kg per capita. Around one half of the total 1.5 mln. ha of potato fields is located in the chernozem area of the Forest-Steppe zone of the Central Ukraine; however, the greatest yield is achieved in the lowlands of Polesye on the north of the country.

In 2004 the production reached the record 20.7 mln. tons; the average yield amounted to 13 tons per hectare. At the same time, Ukraine does not export potato despite of the huge production volumes; a considerable part of harvest is killed by the pests, mainly Colorado beetle, or as a result of the poor storage. According to FAO, potato production in Ukraine amounted to 19.1 mln. tons, the yield was 13.1 tons/ha in 2007. This parameter is a little bit higher than in Russia and three times as low than in Germany.

We'd like to remind that "Fruit-Inform" project has almost finished working on the large-scale survey "Potato business of Russia and Ukraine 2008. State and development perspectives". The survey will provide the details of the major trends and forecasts for potato market in these countries. Please order the survey by filling this form.