Potatoes are one of the most important food grains in the world in terms of raw material production. It grows in almost every country in the world. Potato is the staple food in many countries of the world including Europe, America and Canada. About 90% of the world's potato crop is grown in Europe. Only in the last 2-3 decades, as a result of cultivation of high yielding varieties, potato production in Bangladesh has increased.
In winter, potato is widely cultivated in all the districts of Bangladesh. The best time is early November. In some parts of the Northeast, farmers plant potatoes in October for early harvest. In fact, most of the country's cultivated potatoes are planted by hand. Farmers determine seedbeds as well as row spacing depending on soil quality and potato variety. Row spacing is usually 45 to 60 cm. The ideal depth of planting depends on the soil temperature and humidity, the probable weather after planting and the type of field care to be carried out at a later time. If the planting is shallow, only about 5 cm, the soil has to be gradually raised above the row with the tillage. This ensures that the growing tubers are well covered with soil to protect them from sunlight and pests and diseases.
In the potato farming, Mulching is often done on the rows with water hyacinth, straw, etc. to retain soil moisture and prevent weed growth.
When the potato matures and the tuber is fully formed, the leaves gradually turn yellow and later turn brown, and eventually die. It is better to harvest the crop after these symptoms appear in the field. Most varieties are harvested in February-March in this country. In Bangladesh, tubers are usually collected by hand using spades or other tools.
In Bangladesh, potato is mainly used as a vegetable. Although the main use of potato in Bangladesh is as a vegetable with fish, meat and eggs, there is a huge variety in the consumption of potato. Notable food items made from potato are boiled potato, fried potato, mashed potato, baked potato, potato chop, potato vegetable mixture, potato singara, potato chips, french fries etc. Recently, the country's bakery and fast food shops have started making a variety of delicious food with potatoes.
