Production costs and use of potatoes
Use of potatoes
Potatoes may be used as:
- a major staple food
- a major vegetable
- a minor vegetable
- an industrial crop
The production costs and market oportunities determine to a great extend for which purpose the crop is grown.
- The potato can serve as a staple food as well as a major vegetable, in regions where the production cost per kg of dry matter is relatively low.
- In areas where production costs and market prices are relatively high the potato is mainly used as: vegetable, ingredient for curries and vegetable sauces, side dish, french fries, snack, etc.
- Often the crop is an important crop as income generator in a farming system.
Comparison: potatoes - cereals
4 X
Dry matter content of cereals is 4 times higher than dry matter content of potatoes. Concequently potatoes can replace cereal starch where either the production costs of 4 kg potatoes equals the production costs of 1 kg of cereals
or the starch of potatoes has certain specefic characteristics that it is used to produce special high value products.
High input crop
The potato is most regions a high input, high return crop and is in the group of cash crop/food crop.
CONSIDERATIONS OF PRODUCER AND USER