Agriculture News : Farmers will get Good Prices for Potato during May to June 2016

The potato is world's favourite root vegetable. In India, potato is cultivated in an area of 20.69 lakhs hectares with a production of 480 lakhs tonnes in 2014-15. Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Assam states accounted for 85 per cent share in total area and 90 per cent of the total production of potato in India during 2014-15.

According to the statistics given by National Horticultural Board (NHB), In Tamil Nadu, potato is cultivated in 6100 hectares with 1.3 lakhs tonnes of production in 2014-15. Potato grown in the Nilgiris fetches higher prices due to medium size, higher starch content of tubers. In Neerbogam / Irrigated season, it is sown in February - March and harvested during May-June.

Back Office of Agro Marketing Intelligence and Business Promotion Centre (AMI &BPC) in the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies (CARDS), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University stated that that prices of good quality potato would be around Rs. 24 to Rs.26 per kg in May-June, 2016.

Based on this expected price, farmers are recommended to go for sowing potato in Neerbogam.

Source:http://agritech.tnau.ac.in