M. Shahbandeh
Research expert covering agriculture & FMCG
Potato industry - statistics & facts
Global production of potatoes exceeded 376 million metric tons in 2021. Among the leading potato producers globally, China, India, Ukraine, and Russia took the top four positions in that order. With a production volume of almost 19 million metric tons that year, the United States was the fifth largest market for potato production worldwide. Nationwide, the most significant share of the country's potato production is located in Idaho. The potato state produced just about 121 million centum weight (cwt) of the vegetable in 2022.
Retail market
In the U.S. retail environment, several types of different potatoes are offered. Based on generated sales, the most popular one within the category was ‘Russet’ in 2020. The variety is characterized by a rough brown skin and numerous eyes. It contains a large amount of starch and is low in moisture. A large share of potatoes in the United States are utilized for processing. In 2021, some 270 million cwt of potatoes were processed in the country, while around 94 million cwt of potatoes were utilized fresh. Besides being offered in its natural form, potatoes are often sold as processed foods such as potato chips, French fries or instant potato products. The leading potato chips vendor was Frito Lay in 2022, based on a sales of over 3.6 billion U.S. dollars. Frito Lay's brand portfolio includes Lay's, Cheetos and Doritos chips amongst others.Potato consumption
While per capita consumption of fresh potatoes has fallen over the years, from around 47 pounds per person in 2000 to only about 29.3 pounds per capita in 2021, U.S. consumers have instead increased their consumption of fresh sweet potatoes. Per capita consumption of fresh sweet potatoes has almost doubled in recent decades, increasing from some 4.2 pounds in 2000 to just over six pounds per capita in 2021.
