If you love french fries, or perfectly baked yams (and who doesn’t?) you’ll be interested to find out which are the countries that produce the most potatoes in the world.
Potatoes are not only tasty vegetable, but also very healthy vegetable. Of course, those health benefits we are talking about, depend on how a potato is prepared. The healthiest way to prepare a potato is simple to bake it in the oven with the skin. That way you’ll save the most of its nutrients, and prepare a potato to have the least calories possible. French fries are the most caloric way to prepare potatoes. So if you don’t want to gain weight – stay from these. If you can.
Potatoes are rich in vitamin B6, vitamin C, copper, potassium, vitamin B3, manganese, fiber and many other minerals and vitamins that we need. Regular consumption of potatoes will help us to lower our blood pressure; it will keep our cardiovascular and our nervous system protected. Athletes often consume potatoes, because they help to restore electrolyte balance, and release energy slowly which is good for endurance sports.
If you want to know more about other healthy food and its production be sure not to skip our article on 8 countries that produce the most olives in the world.
In order to find out the countries that produce the most potatoes in the world, we’ve used statistic data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Even though only the statistics from 2013, are available, chances are nothing much has changed since then, because, as we could see from the same source, these countries below were at the top in the previous years, too.
8. Poland
Production: 7,290,427.00 tonnes
Even though Poland has been among the biggest potato producers for a long time, and is still, in 2015 its production slightly decreased because of the bad weather conditions. According to a forecast, things will change for the better in the current year.
7. Bangladesh
Production: 8,603,000.00 tonnes
According to the report from 2015, Bangladesh “has managed to triple its potato production in the 12 years”. Who knows, maybe in a few years Bangladesh will place even higher on the list of countries that produce the most potatoes in the world, considering that not only their production grows but also their per-person potato consumption. In addition, their farmers seem to be happy with the prices.
6. Germany
Production: 9,669,700.00 tonnes
Did you know that every second German states that they prepare frozen fries at home several times per month? Apparently, Germans really know how to enjoy life since their perfect meal includes tasty sausages with french fries and a can of high-class beer. Mmm, sounds tempting!
5. The United States of America
Production: 19,715,480.00 tonnes
In the fifth place on this list of countries that produce the most potatoes in the world is the US. Considering how many potatoes is only needed for the McDonald’s and their world-known fries, and how big a country the US is, it’s only natural to see it on this list.
4. Ukraine
Production: 22,258,600.00 tonnes
When the potato was first brought to Ukraine it was mainly used for the production of alcohol; and today, the potato is one of the main ingredients in Ukraine’s cuisine. And we are not talking about the fries here, but meals like Vareniki and Potato Pancakes.
3. Russia
Production: 30,199,126.00 tonnes
There is a legend that says that Russian weren’t fond of this vegetable at first. When Czar Peter the Great brought it from Europe back in the late 17th century, people in Russia considered potato “the Devil’s apple”. It took them only a century to love this vegetable, which is now one of the most praised there. One of the reasons for that is the fact that potato helped many people survive during the horrible Soviet famine.
2. India
Production: 45,343,600.00 tonnes
The potato was brought to India back in the late 16th century, and now India is among the countries that produce it the most. The highest increase by 850% in potato production in India, happened between 1960 and 2000, mostly because of the increased demand coming from other countries.
1. China
Production: 95,941,504.00 tonnes
The country that produces the most potatoes in the world is China. As we said in our recent list of 8 countries that produce the most kiwi fruit in the world, in which China also dominates, this should come as no surprise, considering its size and the number of people it has. According to USA Today, in order to meet their demand for food, they have “set a goal to make the humble spud a national staple by 2020”.
