From the archive record
After wheat, rice and maize, potato is the most important food crop in the world. It contributes to almost 50% of the total tuber and root crop production. Potato has a good food value as compared to other staple food crops as it is rich in carbohydrates and also contain proteins, minerals like calcium and potassium and vitamins like vitamin C. Boiling the potatoes increase their protein content even more than maize has and almost doubles their calcium content. It is vastly consumed as a vegetable and is also used in various forms such as starch, flour, alcohol, dextrin and livestock fodder. India is placed 3rd in the list of major potato producing countries of the world. It produces around 25 million metric tons of potatoes that contribute to approximately 7.75 % of the world’s total prod