Tropical Root and Tuber Crops: An Overview

Abstract

Root and tuber crops provide a substantial part of the world’s food supply and are also an important source of animal feed and industrial products. The population of India is projected to grow to 1.62 billion by 2050, and the demand for food grains, which is projected to increase to 345 million tons in 2030, can even go up to 360 million tons by 2050. The likely gap in demand-supply could be bridged by crops like cassava and sweet potato, which are concentrated sources of energy. Most of the tuber crops are bestowed with resilience to global warming and climate change, potential for better return under adverse soil and weather conditions, diverse industrial applications and nutritional attributes, and most of all exceptionally high CO₂ fixation potential. In terms of annual volume of production, cassava and sweet potato rank among the top 10 food crops produced in developing countries. The information on World and Indian scenario, area, production, and productivity, SWOT analysis, gap areas identified, and thrust areas for tropical root and tuber crops, is provided.