Welcome to INDIA POTATO
West Bengal ranks second in potato production after Uttar Pradesh, the leader in potato production, in the country. Both of them collectively contribute more than 50% of the country’s production of potato. So any minor deviation in the production of these two states largely affects the total Indian production and market prices. Although India holds the 5th place in cultivation after China, Russia.
Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the most important food crop of the world. Potato is a temperate crop grown under subtropical conditions in India. The potato is a crop which has always been the ‘poor man’s friend’. Potato is being cultivated in the country for the last more than 300 years. For vegetable purposes it has become one of the most popular crops in this country. Potatoes are an economical food; they provide a source of low cost energy to the human diet. Potatoes are a rich source of starch, vitamins especially C and B1 and minerals. They contain 20.6 per cent carbohydrates, 2.1 per cent protein, 0.3 per cent fat, 1.1 per cent crude fibre and 0.9 per cent ash. They also contain a good amount of essential amino acids like leucine, tryptophane and isoleucine etc.
Potatoes are used for several industrial purposes such as for the production of starch and alcohol. Potato starch (farina) is used in laundries and for sizing yarn in textile mills. Potatoes are also used for the production of dextrin and glucose. As a food product itself, potatoes are converted into dried products such as ‘potato chips’, ‘sliced’ or ‘shredded potatoes’.
It is a much branched bushy herb, usually 0.5 to 1m in height possesing underground stems bearing the edible tubers. The leaves are odd pinate with a large terminal leaflet. It flowers in cymose panicles.
Potato is grown almost in all states of India. However, the major potato rowing states are Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar and Assam.
Read More