The humble potato – key facts and figures

Today, October 4, marks Bord Bia’s National Potato Day. In recognition of the humble spud, Shay Phelan, Potato Specialist at Teagasc, shares key facts, figures and developing trends on this all important staple.

Potatoes are Ireland’s most popular vegetable, with approximately 350,000 tonnes produced every year. Almost 9,000ha of maincrop varieties were grown this year, with Rooster accounting for approximately 50% of that area.

The farm gate value of potatoes is estimated at between €80 and €100 million per annum. Traditional varieties such as Rooster, Kerr’s Pink, Golden Wonder and British Queen account for over 60% of the area grown. However, some of these varieties are now in decline, with other markets now becoming more important.

Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in demand for salad varieties and processing varieties for fresh chip. These were normally supplied by imports, but more and more Irish growers are now diversifying into these markets which now account for almost 20 % of the area grown.

National Potato Day

Bord Bia runs a National Potato Day, which celebrates the usefulness of the humble potato. This year, the focus will be on air fryer recipes. There are other ways that potatoes can be cooked in an air fryer rather than chips or wedges, and the promotion on the day aims to show alternative potato options.

Teagasc continues to undertake an extensive body of research in the area of potatoes – focusing on key elements such as breeding, agronomy and blight control strategies. Find out more about these research activities here.