Potato: The hidden treasure

The United Nations General Assembly decided in December 2005 to declare 2008 as the International Year of the Potato (IYP). Potato is the worldʹs number one non-grain food commodity, with production reaching a record of 320 million tonnes in 2007 (FAO, 2007). Consumption is expanding steadily in the developing countries, where potato is an increasingly important source of food, employment and income. Global interest in the potato increased sharply in 2008 as world food prices soared, threatening the food security and stability of dozens of low-income countries. Unlike major cereals, the potato is not a globally traded commodity and prices are usually determined by local production costs. Increasingly, therefore, the potato is being seen as a vital food-security crop and as a substitute for costly cereal imports.