- Share of India: 0.68% (small but productivity-positive)
- Production 2023-24: 386.69 thousand tonnes (DA&FW)
- Area 2023-24: 14,450 ha
- Productivity 2023-24: 26.77 t/ha (+8.9% vs national)
- 5-year area change: −37.2% (23.00 → 14.45 K ha)
- 5-year yield change: +35.3% (19.78 → 26.77 t/ha)
- ICAR variety designation: Kufri Tejas (explicit Maharashtra zone)
Maharashtra produced 386.69 thousand tonnes of potatoes in 2023-24 from 14,450 hectares at a productivity of 26.77 t/ha — 0.68% of India's national output (DA&FW Horticultural Statistics at a Glance 2024, Table 7.3.31). The headline number understates the trajectory: across the 5-year DA&FW series, Maharashtra has lost 37.2% of its potato area while productivity has risen 35.3%, leaving production down only 15.0%. The state is consolidating onto more productive acreage rather than uniformly retreating from the crop. Maharashtra is the only audit-9 wave-3 state to be named explicitly in a recent ICAR-CPRI variety zone recommendation (Kufri Tejas).
How much potato does Maharashtra produce?
Maharashtra produced 386.69 thousand tonnes of potatoes in 2023-24 from 14,450 hectares at a productivity of 26.77 t/ha (DA&FW Horticultural Statistics at a Glance 2024, Table 7.3.31). The 2023-24 productivity reading is the highest in the 5-year series and approaches the productivity of leading processing states such as Gujarat.
| Year | Area ('000 ha) | Production ('000 t) | Productivity (t/ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 23.00 | 455.00 | 19.78 |
| 2020-21 | 22.03 | 491.94 | 22.33 |
| 2021-22 | 19.42 | 407.46 | 20.98 |
| 2022-23 | 15.45 | 278.91 | 18.06 |
| 2023-24 | 14.45 | 386.69 | 26.77 |
Source: DA&FW Horticulture Statistics Unit, Horticultural Statistics at a Glance 2024, Table 7.3.31.
DA&FW Table 7.4.3 (major producing districts) does NOT enumerate Maharashtra districts — only Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal are covered. Maharashtra's potato footprint falls below the threshold for individual district enumeration. District-level data is therefore not asserted on this page.
Why is the consolidation pattern significant?
The Maharashtra trajectory (area −37%, yield +35%, production −15% across 5 years) is the cleanest "consolidation" signal in the DA&FW state-level series. Three contrasts make this clear:
UNLIKE Andhra Pradesh (the only other audit state with a sharply contracting potato area), Maharashtra's production decline (−15%) is much less than its area decline (−37%) — productivity is compensating. Andhra Pradesh shows roughly proportional collapse in both area and production, consistent with genuine retreat from the crop.
UNLIKE Madhya Pradesh (which had a single-year area contraction in 2023-24 with a +10% productivity gain), Maharashtra's contraction is multi-year and the productivity gain is much larger (+35%). MP's pattern reads as an opportunistic high-yield year; Maharashtra's reads as structural consolidation.
UNLIKE Jharkhand (steady area growth with flat productivity), Maharashtra is moving in the opposite direction on both axes — fewer hectares, higher yields per hectare.
The 2023-24 productivity peak (26.77 t/ha) coming AFTER 4 years of area contraction suggests the consolidation is yielding measurable returns and is unlikely to reverse to the higher-acreage / lower-productivity baseline. Whether this reaches a new equilibrium at a smaller-but-more-productive footprint, or continues toward further area decline, is the question the next 2-3 years of DA&FW data will resolve.
Which ICAR-CPRI potato varieties are recommended for Maharashtra?
Maharashtra is one of six states named explicitly in the recommended cultivation zone for Kufri Tejas, a recently notified ICAR-CPRI table variety. These are CPRI recommendations for the agro-climatic zone — state-level variety adoption acreage is not part of the published DA&FW horticulture statistics surface.
| Variety | End use | Yield potential (t/ha) | Maturity (days) | Recommendation notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kufri Tejas | Table | 37–40 | 90 | EXPLICIT Maharashtra zone designation; heat-tolerant |
| Kufri Chipbharat-1 | Chip processing | 35–38 | 100 | Indian plains; high dry matter (21%) |
| Kufri Chipbharat-2 | Chip processing | 35–37 | 90 | Early-maturing; same zone as Chipbharat-1 |
| Kufri Ratan | Table | 37–39 | 90 | North Indian plains and plateau |
Source: ICAR press release on the notification of four new ICAR-CPRI potato varieties (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare).
Kufri Tejas is the only one of the four newly notified varieties with an explicit Maharashtra zone designation. Its heat-tolerance trait is agronomically relevant for the state's rabi cycle, which runs into rising late-winter temperatures across the western plateau. The other three varieties (Kufri Ratan, Kufri Chipbharat-1/2) cover "North Indian plains and plateau" or "Indian plains" — agro-climatic zones that include Maharashtra by inference but do not name it individually.
What is the agro-climatic profile for potato cultivation in Maharashtra?
Maharashtra's potato cultivation occurs primarily in the western and central plateau regions. Producing geography concentrates in the 500-900 metre elevation range on the Deccan plateau and the Western Ghats foothills. Soils are dominated by black cotton (regur) types; cropping is irrigation-dependent (ICAR plateau/plains zone classification).
The agro-climatic envelope is rabi-dominant — planting October-November, harvest February-March. Winter day temperatures in the western plateau typically sit at 18-28°C, with the lower end of the range falling within the optimal 15-22°C tuber-bulking band. Late-season heat stress (rising March temperatures) is a known constraint, which is why heat-tolerant variety notifications such as Kufri Tejas have explicit relevance for Maharashtra. Limited kharif potato cultivation occurs in the Western Ghats but does not contribute meaningfully to state aggregate volumes.
Maharashtra's productivity of 26.77 t/ha in 2023-24 — modestly above the national average — is consistent with an Indian plateau cropping pattern that benefits from disciplined irrigation and progressive farming practices, in contrast to the lower yields of the rain-fed northeast or the area-driven yields of the Gangetic plains.
Source: ICAR plateau/plains zone classification; DA&FW state-level data.
What is Maharashtra's potato outlook?
Three structural features define Maharashtra's potato outlook: a small absolute footprint (386.69 thousand t — the smallest of the four wave-3 Tier 1 states), opacity at district level (no DA&FW major-districts data), and a heat-stress window that ICAR's Kufri Tejas notification is targeting.
Small absolute footprint. At 386.69 thousand t / 14,450 ha, Maharashtra's potato sector is the smallest of the four Tier 1 wave-3 audit states. National-level price or supply shocks have limited leverage on Maharashtra's potato economy specifically — the state matters more as a productivity case study than as a volume contributor.
District-level data opacity. The absence of Maharashtra districts in DA&FW Table 7.4.3 means the principal national source publishes only aggregate data for the state. District-scale productivity differentials — the actionable signal for extension or input policy — are not visible at the national source level for Maharashtra.
Forward signals. The 2023-24 productivity jump (26.77 t/ha) on a smaller acreage base suggests Maharashtra has found a productivity floor at or above the national average. ICAR's explicit naming of Maharashtra in the Kufri Tejas zone is a forward indicator that variety-driven yield gains are the priority lever. A re-expansion of acreage is unlikely unless processing-driven contract farming (the Gujarat model) extends to Maharashtra at scale — there is no published DA&FW signal of this occurring yet.
Source: DA&FW Horticultural Statistics at a Glance 2024, Table 7.3.31; ICAR variety notification.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much potato does Maharashtra produce?+
Maharashtra produced 386.69 thousand tonnes of potatoes in 2023-24 from 14,450 hectares at a productivity of 26.77 t/ha, contributing 0.68% of India's national output (DA&FW Horticultural Statistics at a Glance 2024, Table 7.3.31). Productivity is 8.9% above the national average of 24.57 t/ha.
Is Maharashtra's potato sector growing or shrinking?+
Across the 5-year DA&FW series, Maharashtra has lost 37.2% of its potato area (23.00 → 14.45 thousand ha) while productivity has risen 35.3% (19.78 → 26.77 t/ha). Net production declined only 15.0% (455 → 387 thousand tonnes). This is a consolidation onto higher-productivity acreage rather than a uniform retreat — marginal land has exited the crop while the remaining acreage benefits from concentrated inputs (DA&FW Horticultural Statistics at a Glance 2024).
Why is Maharashtra's potato area declining?+
The DA&FW state-level series documents the area contraction but does not attribute a cause. The pattern (area down, productivity up, production roughly flat) is consistent with marginal acreage exiting the crop while better-managed fields concentrate inputs and achieve higher yields. State-level variety adoption, irrigation infrastructure, and crop-shift data that would identify drivers are not part of the published DA&FW horticulture statistics surface.
Which ICAR potato varieties are recommended for Maharashtra?+
Maharashtra is one of six states named EXPLICITLY in the recommended cultivation zone for Kufri Tejas — a recently notified ICAR-CPRI table variety with 37-40 t/ha yield potential, 90-day maturity, and heat-tolerance (recommended zones: Haryana, Punjab, UP, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra). Two other recently notified varieties (Kufri Chipbharat-1 and Chipbharat-2, both chip processing) have recommended zones described as 'Indian plains' — broadly inclusive of Maharashtra's potato districts. These are recommendations for the agro-climatic zone, not adoption claims.
Does Maharashtra have district-level potato data?+
No — DA&FW Horticultural Statistics at a Glance 2024 Table 7.4.3 (major producing districts) does NOT enumerate district-level potato production for Maharashtra. The major-districts table in the 2024 publication covers Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal — eight states. Maharashtra's potato footprint falls below the threshold for individual district enumeration in the national table.
Which Indian states rank above and below Maharashtra in potato production?+
Maharashtra's 0.68% national share in 2023-24 places it well below the top-5 (UP, West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh — which together produce >80% of national output) and below Punjab, Assam, and Jharkhand. It ranks above the marginal northeast and southern states. The state is more notable as a productivity case study than as a volume contributor.
When are potatoes planted in Maharashtra?+
Maharashtra follows the rabi (winter) cropping pattern as the predominant season — planting October-November, harvest February-March. Limited kharif cultivation occurs in the Western Ghats. The rabi window matches the cool 18-28°C daytime temperature band in the western plateau producing region (ICAR-CPRI).
Other top potato states in India
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