Growing more and better potatoes

Written by Mirtill Rádonyi

Hungary should become self-sufficient in potatoes again, emphasised the Minister of Agriculture. At the 10th Potato Days in Kiskunhalas, István Nagy, as patron, emphasised that potatoes are one of the most popular and basic foods in the world.

Hungary should not expose itself to the risk of not being able to supply itself with potatoes. Consumption habits and climatic conditions have changed. These are the two external reasons why Hungary is currently unable to supply itself with potatoes, and this must be changed.

The government will support the change with all its might. It is time to create all the conditions so that Hungarians can buy local potatoes every day of the year. On the one hand, this requires the availability of good varieties, which is why domestic potato breeding must be supported at state level. On the other hand, the required quantity must be available on the market at all times.

Potatoes are grown on a total of almost 18 million hectares in 159 countries around the world. With more than 5,000 varieties, the potato plays a key role in the global food supply. Seven of the ten largest potato producers in the world and five of the ten largest consumer countries are in Europe. In recent years, 200-300,000 tonnes of potatoes have been grown on 8-12,000 hectares in Hungary.