The potato today

The potato in the world

310 million tonnes of potatoes are produced on our planet. Cultivated in more than150 countries, it is the world's fourth largest food crop after rice, wheat and corn.

According to the F.A.O., annual consumption per person is: 80,3 kg in the East, 79,3 kg in Western Europe, 58,4 kg in the United States, 20,6 Kg in Latin America, 11,7 kg in Asia and 8 kg in Africa. Around 40 % of the total production is cultivated in Russia, 22 % in the CEE, 20 % in China , 6 % en Asia and only 0,6 % in South America, 0,6 % in North America, 0,4 % in Africa, 0,2 % in the Pacific.

So, who would have thought that this solanaceae, originally from the Andes, and growing wild in Peru for centuries, would in the 20th century have such a universal place among consumer products ?

The potato in Europe

According to the C.N.I.P.T. (Comité National Interprofessionnel de la Pomme de Terre, 21 rue de Madrid, 75008 Paris), the main European producer of potatoes is Germany :

1. Germany 6,6 MT sur 179 000 ha
2. Great Britain 5,6 MT sur 135 000 ha
3. France 4,3 MT sur 104 000 ha
4. Holland 3,4 MT sur 73 000 ha
5. Spain 3,1 MT sur 146 000 ha
6. Belgium 2,1 MT sur 50 000 ha
7. Italy 1,6 MT sur 64 000 ha
8. Portugal 1,2 MT sur 87 000 ha

The potato in France

According to the C.N.I.P.T, the principal French region for the production of potatoes is Nord-Pas-de-Calais. :

In 1960, each French person ate around 100 kg of potatoes per year. Consumption then declined significantly due to the rise in living standards and the emergence of new food products. Today, by improving the quality and diversity, consumption of potatoes is rising ( if we include processed products derived from potatoes: French fries, crisps, mashed potatoes ...). Consumption of fresh potatoes is around 40 kg per person and 25 kg per person for processed products.

This makes the potato the most consumed vegetable in France.

In France, the area cultivated for potatoes represents around 170 000 ha Of this 100 000 ha is potatoes for consumption, 20 to 25 000 ha for new potatoes, 15 000 ha for plants, and 30 000 ha for the starch industry. The total production is around 6,5 million tonnes, of which a little more than 4 million is for consumption. New potatoes are harvested in June, potatoes for storing are harvested in September and October.France is the third largest European producer of potatoes.60 % of potatoes are marketed fresh, which represents around 1.700.000 tonnes. Retail sales are nearly 1,100,000 tons, of which 55% to 60% are sold in hypermarkets and supermarkets. Kitchen gardens produce between 400,000 and 500,000 tonnes. The processing industries use nearly 1,100,000 tons, half of which is for the manufacture of frozen French fries and dried mashed potatoes. France exports annually, 600,000 tonnes of potatoes mainly to Spain and Italy.