Growth rates for potato in India and their implications for industry

As potato output increased from 1.3 million t to over 34 million t over the last six decades, India became the planet́s second largest potato producer. Nonetheless, this spectacular increase masks a series of less readily apparent tendencies in the growth rates for potato production, area, and yields. While area harvested expanded, the growth for area harvested experienced a series of peaks and valleys; as yields per hectare continuously rose, the growth rate for productivity gradually ground to a halt. This paper analyses the evolution of these and other growth rates for potato in an effort to provide sharper insights into the driving factors behind the increases in production, area harvested, and yields; the most likely future scenario for the potato sector; and, the implications for industry intended to sustain output and utilization in the years ahead. Sub-sector specific recommendations include greater eco-efficiency in cold storage, efforts to explore niches for small-scale processing of French fries to complement industrial scale operations, and renewed promotion of the potato's nutritional attributes.