Potato world
countries
countries
World potato production, 1991-2007
| 1991 | 1993 | 1995 | 1997 | 1999 | 2001 | 2003 | 2005 | 2007 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Countries | million tonnes | ||||||||
| Developed | 183.13 | 199.31 | 177.47 | 174.63 | 165.93 | 166.93 | 160.97 | 159.97 | 159.89 |
| Developing | 84.86 | 101.95 | 108.50 | 128.72 | 135.15 | 145.92 | 152.11 | 160.01 | 165.41 |
| WORLD | 267.99 | 301.26 | 285.97 | 303.35 | 301.08 | 312.85 | 313.08 | 319.98 | 325.30 |
| Source: FAOSTAT | |||||||||
Top potato producers, 2007
| Quantity (tonnes) | |
|---|---|
1.  China | 72 040 000 |
2.  Russian Fed. | 36 784 200 |
3.  India | 26 280 000 |
4.  United States | 20 373 267 |
5.  Ukraine | 19 102 300 |
6.  Poland | 11 791 072 |
7.  Germany | 11 643 769 |
8.  Belarus | 8 743 976 |
9.  Netherlands | 7 200 000 |
10.  France | 6 271 000 |
| Source: FAOSTAT | |
The world potato sector is undergoing major changes. Until the early 1990s, most potatoes were grown and consumed in Europe, North America and countries of the former Soviet Union. Since then, there has been a dramatic increase in potato production and demand in Asia, Africa and Latin America, where output rose from less than 30 million tonnes in the early 1960s to more than 165 million tonnes in 2007. FAO data show that in 2005, for the first time, the developing world's potato production exceeded that of the developed world. China is now the biggest potato producer, and almost a third of all potatoes is harvested in China and India.
America
quantity
Potato production, by region, 2007
| Harvested area | Quantity | Yield | |
|---|---|---|---|
| hectares | tonnes | tonnes/hectare | |
| Africa | 1 541 498 | 16 706 573 | 10.8 |
| Asia/Oceania | 8 732 961 | 137 343 664 | 15.7 |
| Europe | 7 473 628 | 130 223 960 | 17.4 |
| Latin America | 963 766 | 15 682 943 | 16.3 |
| North America | 615 878 | 25 345 305 | 41.2 |
| WORLD | 19 327 731 | 325 302 445 | 16.8 |
| Source: FAOSTAT | |||
Asia and Europe are the world's major potato producing regions, accounting for more than 80 percent of world production in 2007. While harvests in Africa and Latin America were far smaller, production was at or near record levels. North America was the clear leader in yields, at more than 40 tonnes per hectare.
America
(per capita)
Potato consumption, by region, 2005
| Population | Consumption | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total food (t) | kg per capita | |||
| Africa | 904 388 000 | 12 571 000 | 13.9 | |
| Asia/Oceania | 3 934 644 000 | 94 038 000 | 23.9 | |
| Europe | 739 203 000 | 64 902 000 | 87.8 | |
| Latin America | 562 270 000 | 11 639 000 | 20.7 | |
| North America | 330 400 000 | 19 824 000 | 60.0 | |
| WORLD | 6 484 792 000 | 202 974 000 | 31.3 | |
| Source: FAOSTAT | ||||
Asia consumes almost half of the world's potato supply, but its huge population means that consumption per person was a modest 24 kg in 2005. The heartiest potato eaters are Europeans. Per capita consumption is lowest, but increasing, in Africa and Latin America.
Top potato consumers, 2005
| Quantity (t) | Kg per capita | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. China | 47 594 193 | 1. Belarus | 181 |
| 2. Russian Fed. | 18 828 000 | 2.  Kyrgyzstan | 143 |
| 3. India | 17 380 730 | 3. Ukraine | 136 |
| 4. United States | 17 105 000 | 4. Russian Fed. | 131 |
| 5. Ukraine | 6 380 850 | 5. Poland | 131 |
6.  United Kingdom | 6 169 000 | 6.  Rwanda | 125 |
| 7. Germany | 5 572 000 | 7.  Lithuania | 116 |
| 8. Poland | 5 000 000 | 8.  Latvia | 114 |
9.  Bangladesh | 4 041 463 | 9.  Kazakhstan | 103 |
10.  Iran (Islamic Rep.) | 3 991 142 | 10. United Kingdom | 102 |
| Source: FAOSTAT | |||