Did you know that 30 May is the International Day of Potato? More than just a top four global staple food (after corn, wheat and rice), the potato plays an important role in supporting agricultural production, improving nutrition, protecting the environment, and sustaining livelihoods around the world. 

With 370 million tonnes produced annually worldwide, potatoes contribute to food security as they feed over one billion people daily and provide employment and income opportunities for people in both rural and urban communities across the entire value chain. 

Produced by Solanum tuberosum (L.), the potato is an exceptionally versatile crop with a wide range of uses. Around the world, people enjoy fresh potatoes in many delicious dishes be it mashed , boiled, roasted, dried or scalloped. Less than 50 percent of potatoes grown worldwide are consumed fresh as they are processed into food products and ingredients, like chuño (freeze dried potatoes from the Andes), frozen chips, snacks, as alcoholic beverages and more. Dehydrated potato flakes and potato starch are widely used in food processing, while potato tubers, peels and leaves can also be used for silage and animal feed. And given that potato starch is 100% biodegradable, it has increasingly been used as a substitute for polystyrene and other plastics in the development of disposable plates, dishes and knives, thereby contributing to a better environment.

Potatoes also have many non-food applications. Potato derivatives are used in products such as adhesives, biodegradable plastics, cosmetics and natural colourants. Even potato peel waste can be transformed into value-added products, demonstrating the crop’s potential to support more sustainable production systems. 

Additionally, they are used as seed tubers to ensure the crop continuity in the field. A part of each year’s crop ranging from 5 -15 percent depending on the quality of the harvested tubers is set aside for re-use in the next planting season.

This year’s FAO infographic for the International Day of Potato showcases the many uses of potato derivatives. The infographic was produced by the FAO Plant Production and Protection Division using concepts related to potato derivatives drawn from AGROVOC, FAO’s multilingual controlled vocabulary covering terminology and concepts across the Organization’s areas of work. 

In preparation for the International Day of Potato, new potato-related concepts have been added to AGROVOC. The Agriculture Information Management Team of the FAO Partnerships and UN Collaboration Division was pleased to contribute to this year’s International Day of Potato initiative in this way.