International Day of Potato 2025: Potato is one of the most consumed vegetables on the planet, with nearly two-thirds of the world population consuming it, according to the United Nations. Resistant to drought, cold and barren land, potatoes have wide adaptability. To celebrate this versatile vegetable, the world marks International Day of Potato on May 30 every year.
History of the International Day of Potato
In December 2023, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) decided to designate May 30 as the International Day of Potato to raise awareness of the multiple nutritional, economic, environmental and cultural values of the potato.
Prior to the International Day of Potato, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in 2007, officially announced 2008 as the International Year of the Potato (IYP). The initiative for an IYP came in 2005, when Peru and a group of Latin American and Caribbean countries requested FAO's collaboration in having an IYP declared.
Theme of International Day of Potato 2025
International Day of Potato is being observed for the second time in history, with this year's theme being 'Shaping history, feeding the future'. The theme acknowledges potato's deep historical and cultural significance and evolving role in today's global agrifood systems.
"The Day is an opportunity to build on the International Year of the Potato, which was observed in 2008. The observance will also be used to underscore the importance of the crop to combating hunger and poverty and addressing environmental threats to agrifood systems," read a statement by FAO.
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Significance of International Day of Potato
International Day of Potato is observed every year to increase awareness of the importance of the potato as a food in developing nations and promote research and development of potato-based systems as a means of contributing to development goals.
By 2030, the total production of potatoes is expected to reach 750 million tonnes, with an increase of 112 per cent. The majority of the production is expected to come from Asia, Africa and Latin America (440 million tonnes), which is an increase of 100 per cent, accounting for about 59 per cent of the world.
