Written by Soad Mohamed Salih Khartoum/ 25/ 2/ Suna/ due to the increasing international demand for potatoes , the international production of this commodity has increased at an average rate reaching 4.5% during the last ten years, and it has exceeded the production of many of the food commodities specially in the developing countries on top
of them the Asian countries Indicators of Food and Agricultural Program (FAO) shows that the consumption of potatoes will increase consecutively in the future if the potatoes comes in the fourth place internationally in the list of the food products after the wheat, rice, and corn. The FAO explained that since the early sixties from the 20th century the area specialized for potato cultivation has increased compared with the areas specialized for the other main food crops. It is expected that in the year 2020 the demand for potatoes will double compared with the year 1993. Specialists at the ministry of agriculture at Khartoum state said that to meet the local demand the ministry has made a promising program to develop the cultivation of this winter commodity, represented in providing all the potatoes cultivation needs at its appropriate time because the delay of the cultivation season leads to the appearance of plants diseases and reduction in productivity. To increase the productivity the ministry has made solutions to reduce the production cost and to change the culture, systems and concepts of practicing potatoes productions, besides introducing new potato species of high productivity that could be adapted to the climate conditions in Sudan, focusing on generalizing the machine system in the agricultural phases instead of using traditional cultivation methods
The experts also assured that the improved seeds is the base for increasing the productivity provided that it is to be imported directly from its sources specially Holland as it has a great experience in this sphere. Within the context of the concern to develop the potatoes sector, a technical committee was formed at the state level to provide the technical assistant and to care for the storage and cooling systems and to combat the diseases in addition to intensifying the field work , introducing new technologies and control the technological packages
All this will be carried in coordination with the Federal committee for potatoes development and the research centers in the states
By the increase in consumption demand for potatoes on the Sudanese table food , many farmers in the different states of the Sudan specially in Nahr Alneel state , the northern state and Darfur have entered the sphere of potatoes cultivation which led to an increase in demand for the agricultural seeds which makes the ministry of agriculture at Khartoum state assures the necessity of producing the agricultural seeds locally. It is to mention that Khartoum state is the founder of potatoes cultivation in Sudan which started in 1939. There are many facilities for cooling and storing potatoes, besides factories for manufacturing potato slices in Khartoum state
The Origin of Potatoes is the Indies mountains
Food experts said the potatoes is a main component in the nutrition strategies which aimed at combating poverty and feeding the poor because it contains high levels of protein and because and considered as a new energy source , which made it the main food for millions of people