China leads the world in potato production with around 88.9 million metric tons per year; that's about 22% of the potato supply in the world. Countries have chosen to increase their potato production because the potato is more profitable per acre than other staple crops like grains and beans.
Potato production in India has exploded since the middle of the 20th Century; increasing by 850 percent from 1960 to 2000. India is estimates to produce 45.34 million metric tons of potatoes each year. The country remains to rely on small family farms to grow potatoes in the western part of the country.
Russia produces a total of 30.20 million metric tons of potatoes each year. This production has dropped since the 1990s; and only 13 percent of the potatoes in the country are produced by agricultural enterprises while 79 percent is produced by individual households.
The Ukraine produces about 22.26 million metric tons of potatoes each year; historically the country has mainly grown potatoes for the starch to use in the production of alcohol. Individual households grow 97 percent of the potatoes in the country and then sell the crop to larger distributors.
