India
आलू/potato
Year2007
Production
28 968 700 tons
Harvested area
3 952 000 acres
Yield
7.32 tons/acre
The potato reached India in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, most likely aboard ships from Portugal. Today, India ranks as the world's third largest potato producing nation, with production in 2007 of around 29 million tons.
Between 1960 and 2000, potato production increased by almost 850 percent partly in response to growing demand from higher-income urban populations. Since 1990, per capita consumption has risen from around 26 lb to 37 lb a year.
In India, the potato is not primarily a rural staple but a cash crop that provides significant income for farmers: the value of the 2005 harvest is estimated at $3.6 billion and exports totalled about 88 000 tons that year. Potato varieties suited to the country's climate - hot summers and short winters - are grown on the Indo-Gangetic plain during the short winter days from October to March, while some year-round production takes place in relatively high altitude areas in the south.
Further details from CIP's World Potato Atlas