The potato in Ireland:
The Irish were the first to give the práta a truly warm welcome to Europe in the early 17th century, but tuber is also associated with a national tragedy; in the 1840s, potato blight destroyed most of Ireland’s potato crop, leading to a famine that caused the deaths and the massive emigration. Today the potato is Ireland’s most-loved crop and their consumption has stabilized. Potatoes are bought once every second in Irish retailer outlets with 1.67 million household purchases annually. Shoppers are returning to buy more often and the volume purchased by the average Irish household is now at 125kg per year, from a low of 103kg in 2013.
- Area harvested: 9,000 ha
- Production: 35,2000 t
- Yield: 39, 1111 hg/ha
- Consumption: 125 kg per year (household)
Source: FAO 2016 and Kantar Worldpanel 2018