Economic Aspects Of The Potato Enterprise With Particular Reference To Costs

Although potatoes are grown in most countries of the world, the pattern of production is largely concentrated in Europe where almost three-quarters of the world's acreage is grown. The Americas account for somewhat over 7 percent of total acreage of which over one-half is grown in the southern continent. In terms of production, this concentration is even more marked with 86 percent of the total coming from the aforementioned areas. Thus it is noted that it is in European countries and those areas of the world largely populated by the descendants of Europeans that the potato finds favor despite the fact that it originated in Peru and was first used by peoples of Asiatic origin as an item in their diet. The purpose of this paper is to examine and review the pattern of production and consumption of the potato industry in the United States. Regional specialization in production has taken place to a significant degree and some attention is devoted to the underlying causes of this trend.