Getting started with potato farming

Potatoes are a valuable crop for farmers with limited land and can be planted almost throughout the year. They are also ideal for use in a rotation system with maize. The crop’s value lies in its adaptability to marginal environments. Successful cultivation, however, requires strict adherence to best practices, writes Linda Piegl.

- Linda Piegl

Potatoes are vital to food security, feeding over a billion people worldwide, and the fourth most important crop for human consumption after wheat, maize, and rice.

It is an especially important crop in developing regions of Africa, South America, and Asia as a staple food.

The crop’s value lies in its adaptability to marginal environments, high nutritional value, and genetic diversity, which has enabled the development of resilient varieties capable of withstanding pests, diseases, and changing environmental conditions. Consequently, potatoes play a crucial role in sustainable agriculture.

South Africa is among the top five potato-producing countries on the African continent, with potatoes contributing R12 billion (2,76%) to the gross value of total agricultural production.

A significant percentage of the country’s potato crop is processed into various products, including crisps, frozen and fresh chips, canned vegetables, and a host of other processed foods.

In addition to human consumption and livestock feed, potatoes also have industrial applications in the production of adhesives, fuel-grade ethanol, spirits such as vodka, and bioplastics.

They are mainly cultivated in Limpopo and the Free State, with these two provinces contributing to more than half of the country’s average annual production.

Potato crops yield more food on less land faster than any other major food crop and are therefore an excellent alternative for farmers with limited land available for crop production, the International Potato Center (CIP) points out.

“One hectare of potatoes can yield a crop with a food value of more than 4ha of grain.

“Potatoes are also capable of yielding twice the protein per hectare of wheat,” says the CIP.

Potatoes are also more water-efficient than many of the grains, around four times as efficient as rice and twice as efficient as wheat.

CULTIVAR SELECTION