News & Press » International Year of the Potato

International Year of the Potato

Press release: 19/02/2008

Britain celebrates United Nations’ International Year of the Potato 2008. Launched at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York, the International Year of the Potato (IYP) will focus on the importance of the potato in providing food security and alleviating poverty.

The International Year of the Potato was initially declared by the government of Peru and motioned by the UN. The year-long event will focus on the importance of the potato in providing food security and alleviating poverty.

The British Potato Council has pledged its support to IYP and is planning a series of activities to celebrate this unique event.

BPC Activities to Celebrate IYP

These will include the highly successful Grow Your Own Potatoes project. Now in its third year this fun, hands-on activity helps primary school children learn about potatoes; how they grow, where they come from and their role in a healthy balanced diet. The project is already supported by a wealth of educational resources for teachers but to celebrate the International Year of the Potato the BPC is developing some more worksheets that link subjects such as geography and history, as well as encouraging awareness of the need for other nations to grow potatoes. Grow Your Own has been so successful that the UN has launched its own version, based on the BPC’s. For more information click here.

Facts & Figures 

Where in the world…?

• The potato (Solanum tuberosum) originated in the Andes of South America, 8000 years ago. Today, potatoes are grown on an estimated 19,500,000 hectares around the world. 

• The word ‘potato’ known in Spanish as ‘patata’ is derived from the word ‘batata’

• Asia and Europe are the world's major potato producing regions, accounting for more than 80 percent of world production in 2006. While harvests in Africa and Latin America were far smaller, production was at record levels. North America was the clear leader in yields, at more than 40 tonnes per hectare.

• China is now the biggest potato producer, and almost a third of all potatoes are harvested in China and India alone.

• Asia consumes almost half of the world's potato supply, but its huge population means that consumption per person was a modest 25 kg in 2005. The heartiest potato eaters are Europeans. Per capita consumption is lowest, but increasing, in Africa and Latin America.

• Potatoes are so rich in starch that it ranks as the world's fourth most important food crop, after maize, wheat and rice.