Due to the wide diversity in types and high consumer consumption, potatoes fit well with many growers. They can be marketed direct to consumers at farm stands, farmers markets, and through other local retail outlets. There is also a substantial wholesale market based around the increasing demand for locally-produced foodstuffs and specialty-type potatoes.
Due to the wide diversity in types and high consumer consumption, potatoes are a good enterprise option for many growers. They can be marketed directly to consumers at farm stands, farmers markets, and through other local retail outlets. There is also a substantial wholesale market in Santo Domingo based on increasing demand for locally produced foodstuffs and specialty-type potatoes. Wholesale marketers will want to explore local and regional produce auctions, grocer local-buyer programs, and direct-to-restaurant sales. The diversity of potatoes is just beginning to be realized as more and improved specialty potatoes with different skin, flesh colors, and uses are being grown and marketed. The use of different colors adds to the visual appeal of potatoes on display and can attract attention at a retail outlet.
Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) are the world’s most important vegetable crop. They originated in the Andean region of South America and were first brought to Spain, where they were marketed as early as 1576. The potato was then introduced to the rest of Europe, where the Irish were the first to recognize it for its high food value. By the early 1600s potatoes became the staple food of the Irish, with the majority of the people depending on them for their existence. When late blight disease came to Ireland from America, it caused a national famine from 1845 to 1848 that resulted in the death of nearly one million people and the mass oversea migration of one million more. Late blight caused the death of the potato vines and decay of the tubers, resulting in a total loss of the crop. Late blight, although manageable, is still a challenge for growers today.