As the prices of good quality potato are expected to hover around Rs 28 to Rs 30 per kg till December, farmers have been advised to sell the produce upon harvest without going for storage.

Agri Marketing Intelligence and Business Promotion Centre in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University analysed the prices of potato that prevailed for the last 23 years in Nilgiris Co-operative Marketing Society (NCMS) in Mettupalayam in the district and forecast the prices for the benefit of the farmers.

Tamil Nadu produced 1.15 lakh tonnes of potato from 5,350 hectares during 2013-14, which was grown in the hilly regions of Nilgiris, Dindigul, Krishnagiri and Erode districts. The potato sown during September-October in Nilgiris started arriving from first week of this month.

The prices would be stable till December and are expected to fall as arrivals from Delhi, Kolkata and Gujarat start by the turn of the year, the analysis said.

The potato is the third most important food crop in the world after rice and wheat in terms of human consumption and globally total crop production exceeds 350 million tonnes in 2013-14.

India produced 46.39 million tonnes, with Uttar Pradesh contributing 32 per cent, followed by West Bengal 26, Bihar 14, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab five per cent, accounting for 87 per cent of the total production in 2013-14.

India has exported about 17.34 lakh tonnes of potato in 2013-2014, which was six per cent more than that of 2012-13.

Senegal topped the list with 39 per cent, Egypt 24 per cent, Sri Lanka 22 per cent, Nepal 10 and Myanmar three per cent.

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