Production & Marketing Issues of Potato Cultivation

In Sri Lanka, annual potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production has not been adequate to meet the increasing local demand. Hence, potato imports have been increased over the past several years. In such a context, this study was conducted to examine the production and marketing issues of potato cultivation in Badulla district. According to the Kruscal-Wallis analysis, high cost of production was the main production constraint while second and third constrains were pest and disease problems and difficulties in obtaining loan facilities respectively. Low selling price of potatoes was the prominent marketing constraint whereas; second and third limitations were lack of buyers and the low potato yield respectively. This study suggested that it is vital to produce high quality potato seeds with affordable prices and enhance the farmer's accessibility to different marketing channels of potato in order to reduce their cost of production. Further, this book can be used as an information tool for academics and professionals in the area of agricultural economics in order to build knowledge and understand about the various issues with relevant to the potato cultivation in Sri Lanka.