(Cold Storages) of Rajasthan - Agmarknet

farmers prefer to keep their potatoes in bags or in earthen pots inside the farmhouseitself to prevent damage from the elements or theft. Rustic farm storage is used tokeep potatoes for only two or three months. Rising temperatures and humidity preemptcontinuation of such practices beyond late April or early May. Tubers kept insuch fashion are used either for delayed, on-farm consumption or for sale as tablepotatoes.POTATO PRODUCTION AND PRICINGAs we see potatoes are grown as a short-duration winter crop between the mainsummer and fall cereal crops throughout the Indo-Gangetic plain of India. Theexpansion of potato production since the 190s has been made possible by severalfactors. These includes the increased availability of high quality seed due todevelopment of the ‘seed plot technique’ which significantly reduced increasetransmission; the breeding and diffusion of high yielding potato varieties theexpansion of cold storage facilities and the introduction of short duration cerealvarieties that are incentives to day length. These cereal varieties unable new, cerealpotatomultiple cropping system to be developed in irrigated areas. Advanced potatoproduction technology and availability of adequate cold storage capacity made highyielding, decrease-free seed, available on a much larger scale than was previouslypossible. Expansion of cold storage capacity also encouraged further production byextending the market for table potatoes in the off-season.POTATO CONSUMPTIONThe potato is the most important vegetable in the Indian diet. As per record percapita consumption, although modest compared industrial countries, has increasedto 12.9 kg/cap/yrs from 4.1 kg/cap/yr in 1961-63. traditionally, the bulk potatoconsumption took place in the country side close to the centers of production.7