Biology and Life Sciences

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Position of Potato Sector: Evidence from Sri Lanka

Volume: 5  ,  Issue: 2 , May    Published Date: 03 June 2018
Publisher Name: IJRP
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Authors

# Author Name
1 Vanitha Prasannath

Abstract

The potato is the world most significant root and tuber crop in worldwide and one of the important crops in Sri Lanka due to its high consumer preference and disposable profit generation. With this background, the objectives of this study were to review the trends in potato production, the area under harvested, imports and per capita availability, and to investigate the government involvement in regulating the prices and importation. The study is mainly based on secondary data which were collected from the annual reports of Central Bank of Sri Lanka and Department of Census and Statistics from 1961 to 2016. The data were first tabulated and then graphs were produced and based on the observed patterns certain interpretations were made. Total production and area under harvested display a similar trend for the study period with a sudden decline in 1997. Badulla and Nuwara-Eliya districts contributed on average 73% and 26% of the national potato production respectively in the last decade. The yield of potato states a gradual rise over the period with frequent fluctuations. The imports of potato were lesser than the production until 2006 with a surge in the years from 1997 to 2001 and thereafter importation was increased drastically and continuously, which is 148,081 metric tons in 2016. Imports of potato contribute 5.1% of the national imports and 41% of the food and beverages imports. Per capita availability of potato exhibited a growing trend and it reach nearly 10kg/year/person in 2016. The government imposes several policies such as maximum retail price and special commodity levy time to time to protect the local farmers and to make the availability of potatoes to consumers. Several input subsidies have been introduced to promote potato cultivation. Therefore, these manners of government interferences should remain to retain the potato sector capably. 

Keywords

  • potato
  • Production
  • per capita availability
  • imports