- Share of India: 0.34%
- Production 2023-24: 196.25 thousand tonnes (DA&FW)
- Area 2023-24: 19,540 ha
- Productivity 2023-24: 10.04 t/ha (41% of national avg)
- NE region rank: #2 (after Assam)
- ICAR-RCNEH HQ: Umiam (Barapani), 15 km from Shillong
- ICAR-RCNEH established: 9 January 1975
Meghalaya produced 196.25 thousand tonnes of potatoes in 2023-24 from 19,540 hectares at a productivity of 10.04 t/ha — 0.34% of India's national output (DA&FW Horticultural Statistics at a Glance 2024, Table 7.3.31). Meghalaya is the second-largest northeast potato producer after Assam, and structurally important beyond its production volume: the state hosts the headquarters of ICAR's Research Complex for the North-Eastern Hill Region (ICAR-RCNEH) at Umiam (Barapani) — the principal institutional centre for potato research across India's seven sister states.
How much potato does Meghalaya produce?
Meghalaya produced 196.25 thousand tonnes of potatoes in 2023-24 from 19,540 hectares at a productivity of 10.04 t/ha — 0.34% of India's national output (DA&FW Horticultural Statistics at a Glance 2024, Table 7.3.31). The state ranks 11th nationally by production volume and 9th by area — Meghalaya uses proportionally more area for its production share, consistent with the highland productivity profile.
| Year | Area ('000 ha) | Production ('000 t) | Productivity (t/ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 18.94 | 187.35 | 9.89 |
| 2020-21 | 18.94 | 187.30 | 9.89 |
| 2021-22 | 18.93 | 187.22 | 9.89 |
| 2022-23 | 19.54 | 196.23 | 10.04 |
| 2023-24 | 19.54 | 196.25 | 10.04 |
Source: DA&FW Horticulture Statistics Unit, Horticultural Statistics at a Glance 2024, Table 7.3.31.
The series is among the most stable in the DA&FW table: area moved less than 3% across 5 years, production barely changed, and productivity has remained essentially flat in a tight 9.89–10.04 t/ha band. This stability is the headline fact for Meghalaya's potato sector — a mature, low-volatility cropping pattern rather than expansion or contraction. DA&FW Table 7.4.3 does NOT enumerate Meghalaya districts for potato; district-level data is therefore not asserted on this page.
What is the agro-climatic context for potato in Meghalaya?
Meghalaya falls within the North-Eastern Hill agro-climatic zone, predominantly at elevations above 1,000 metres. Highland cultivation is the dominant pattern across the Khasi, Jaintia, and Garo Hills.
The highland setting offers favourable cool temperatures year-round — the temperature envelope rarely exceeds the upper limits of potato tuber development, which extends the agronomic window relative to plains states. Soils are predominantly red lateritic and forest-derived, with patches of more productive alluvial soils in valley pockets.
Heavy monsoon rainfall is more a constraint than an asset for potato. Cherrapunji and surrounds have among the highest annual rainfall globally. Waterlogging, leaching of soil nutrients, and disease pressure (late blight, bacterial wilt) are chronic challenges of the highland NE potato cropping pattern. The 10.04 t/ha state productivity reflects this environment: highland favourability for temperature is offset by disease pressure, soil constraints, and limited access to certified seed in remote hill districts.
Source: ICAR-RCNEH agro-climatic classifications.
What is the ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region?
Meghalaya hosts the ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region (ICAR-RCNEH) at Umiam (also known as Barapani), located approximately 15 km from Shillong. It is the regional institutional centre for agricultural research across India's seven sister states plus Sikkim.
- Established: 9 January 1975
- Headquarters: Umiam (Barapani), ~15 km from Shillong
- Status: First of its kind ICAR multidisciplinary regional complex
- Coverage: Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim
- Disciplines: Agriculture, horticulture, animal sciences, agricultural engineering, agroforestry, fishery, social sciences
- Regional centres: Basar (AP), Imphal (Manipur), Kolasib (Mizoram), Jharnapani (Nagaland), Lembucherra (Tripura), Gangtok (Sikkim)
- Potato mandate: Improving and popularising potato cultivation in the northeast
The presence of the regional ICAR HQ in Meghalaya gives the state structural research-extension advantages relative to other NE states, even though the state's own potato production volumes are modest. Research outputs from ICAR-RCNEH propagate across all seven sister states through the regional centres at Basar (Arunachal Pradesh), Imphal (Manipur), Jharnapani (Nagaland), and Lembucherra (Tripura).
Source: ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region (ICAR-RCNEH) institutional documentation; ICAR.
What data is NOT available for Meghalaya?
This page is built on DA&FW state-level series and ICAR-RCNEH institutional documentation for Meghalaya. The following information surfaces are NOT currently published from primary sources surveyed:
- District-level area, production, or productivity data for Meghalaya (the state is not in DA&FW Table 7.4.3)
- State-specific variety adoption acreage data
- Direct primary-source attribution for the year-on-year productivity stability around 10 t/ha
- Detailed cold-storage or post-harvest infrastructure data at the state level
Where these data become available from approved primary sources (state horticulture commissioner reports, ICAR-RCNEH technical publications, peer-reviewed studies), this page is structured to absorb them as additional sections without requiring a rewrite.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much potato does Meghalaya produce?+
Meghalaya produced 196.25 thousand tonnes of potatoes in 2023-24 from 19,540 hectares at a productivity of 10.04 t/ha, contributing 0.34% of India's national output (DA&FW Horticultural Statistics at a Glance 2024, Table 7.3.31). Meghalaya is the second-largest northeast potato producer after Assam.
What is special about Meghalaya for potato research?+
Meghalaya hosts the headquarters of the ICAR Research Complex for the North-Eastern Hill Region (ICAR-RCNEH) at Umiam (also known as Barapani), located approximately 15 km from Shillong. Established 9 January 1975, it is the first of its kind ICAR multidisciplinary regional complex, covering agriculture, horticulture, animal sciences, agricultural engineering, agroforestry, fishery, and social sciences across all seven sister states plus Sikkim. Improving and popularising potato cultivation in the northeast is among its mandated objectives.
Why is Meghalaya's potato productivity lower than other states?+
At 10.04 t/ha, Meghalaya's potato productivity is approximately 41% of the national average of 24.57 t/ha, ranking second-lowest among Indian potato-producing states (after Assam at 8.56 t/ha). The low productivity reflects the highland growing environment — while elevations above 1,000 metres in the Khasi, Jaintia, and Garo Hills provide favourable cool temperatures year-round, the region's extremely heavy monsoon rainfall (Cherrapunji and surrounds have among the highest annual rainfall globally) creates chronic problems with waterlogging, soil nutrient leaching, and disease pressure (late blight, bacterial wilt).
Is Meghalaya's potato production growing?+
Meghalaya's 5-year DA&FW series is among the most stable in the national table: area moved less than 3% across 5 years (18.93 → 19.54 thousand ha), production barely changed (187.22 → 196.25 thousand tonnes), and the productivity baseline (10.04 t/ha) has remained essentially flat. This is a mature, low-volatility cropping pattern rather than an expansion or contraction story.
Does Meghalaya have district-level potato data?+
No — DA&FW Horticultural Statistics at a Glance 2024 Table 7.4.3 (major producing districts) does NOT enumerate Meghalaya districts for potato. The major-districts table covers eight states: Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. District-level data is therefore not asserted on this page.
Where is potato grown in Meghalaya?+
Meghalaya's potato cultivation occurs predominantly at elevations above 1,000 metres across the Khasi, Jaintia, and Garo Hills. Highland cultivation is possible in extended seasons relative to the plains because the temperature envelope rarely exceeds the upper limits of potato tuber development. Soils are predominantly red lateritic and forest-derived, with patches of more productive alluvial soils in valley pockets.
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