Potato Production in India: Top 6 Potato Producing States in 2023

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Different Aspects of Potato Production
• Top 6 Potato Producing States
  • Uttar Pradesh
  • West Bengal
  • Bihar
  • Gujarat
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Punjab

Introduction

With a diverse agricultural landscape, India plays a significant role in global potato production. The country's rich climate, soil and farming practices contribute to potato cultivation growth. Several states in India contribute to this enormous potato production. These states produce different varieties of potatoes to cater to diverse culinary needs and ensure food security.

Different Aspects of Potato Production

India is the second largest producer of potatoes in the world, after China. While from a different part of the world, potato farming in India has become a significant part of the regular diet after its introduction. It holds a crucial place in the country as a cash crop and staple food. The potato market in India has diverse varieties rich in nutrients like minerals, vitamins, and carbohydrates.

The importance of potato production in India can be easily understood from its wide usage in dishes. From a diverse range of potato varieties cultivated in India, the cultivation of high-yielding varieties has further boosted potato cultivation in India, thus making different varieties available and improving the economic importance of potatoes.

Top 6 Potato Producing States

Potatoes are grown in almost all the states in the country, and the state leading with the highest potato production is Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh is followed by West Bengal and other states; these states contribute majorly to the country's overall potato production. According to Agriexchange, the total production of potato in India for 2021-22 was 50,714.96 thousand tonnes. The following are the top potato producing states in India:

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of potato in India. The state contributed around 30 per cent of the total potato production in India by producing 15,892 thousand tonnes. Districts like Agra, Mathura, Mainpuri, Farrukhabad, Etawah, Kanpur, and Aligarh are known for their high potato yield, and the varieties grown here are Kufri Chandramukhi, Kufri Chipsona, Kufri Sindhuri and various others.

West Bengal

West Bengal is the second largest potato producer after Uttar Pradesh, producing 12,600 thousand tonnes and making over 23 per cent of the total potato production. Hooghly district in West Bengal is the potato production hub and contributes more than 40 per cent of the state's total potato production. Some common potato varieties cultivated in this state are Kufri Chandramukhi, Kufri Ashoka and Kufri Pukhraj. These varieties are suitable for table purposes and instant chips and flakes.

Bihar

Bihar is among India's leading potato producers and uses the maximum area compared to other vegetables for potato cultivation. Districts such as Patna, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Mahbubani, Nalanda, Katihar, and Champaran are a few top potato producing districts in the state. It produced 9,125.80 thousand tonnes, making slightly over 17 per cent of the total potato production in the country. Different varieties like Kufri Sindhuri, Kufri Anand, Kufri Chipsona and Kufri Lalima are a few that are majorly grown in the state. Introducing modern agricultural techniques and farming practices highly influences the state's growth in potato production.

Gujarat

The state's advanced irrigation infrastructure, combined with rich alluvial soil, allows it to produce potatoes to a significant extent easily. This helped the state produce 3,780 thousand tonnes of potatoes, contributing over 7 per cent of the total production. Banasknatha district is the primary contributor to potato production in the state, and with the help of a drip irrigation method, the potato yield per acre in India has increased.

Madhya Pradesh

The state ranks fifth in potato production in India. Bhopal, Ujjain, Indore, Dewas, Gwalior, and Shajapur are some districts that majorly contribute to state potato production. The state contributed 6.68 per cent to the national potato production with 3,582 thousand tonnes. Kufri Chandramukhi and Kufri Lauvkar potato varieties are commonly produced in the state and are suitable for making chips.

Punjab

Potatoes have a significant share in the overall vegetable grown in the state, and the state produced 2,850 thousand tonnes, making 5.32 per cent of the total production. Major potato producing districts in the state are Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Bathinda, and Hoshiarpur. These districts majorly cultivate varieties like Kufri Jyoti, Kufri Badshah, Kufri Pukhraj, Kufri Jawahar and Kufri Chipsona.

Potato production in India significantly contributes to the country's economy and food security. It also offers employment opportunities to the masses directly and indirectly. The above-discussed states are the top six states in India that contribute to the country's primary potato production by cultivating diverse varieties.