Demand for sweet potatoes increasing

PAPUA New Guinea shows an increase in the consumption of sweet potatoes.
The economic crisis, high price of substitutes, and food scandals are some of the reasons for this increase.
The sweet potato farms benefit because of the aforementioned situations, showing increased revenues.
The adaptation of agriculture economics to sweet potato farming is considered necessary to increase production and supply.
It is understood that the increase in the demand for sweet potato will be sustained in the medium to long term.
The application of farm economics is becoming useful for sweet potato among other local food crops such as taro, yam, and banana.
The demand for sweet potato is underpinned by the strong appetite for local cuisines.
As mentioned, the high import inflation, food scandals and economic crisis are causative factors in the increase in demand for sweet potato.
Young consumers also prefer foods that are easily prepared for consumption and this is a causative factor in the mushrooming of food stalls and food bars everywhere in the urban and peri-urban areas.
Standardised sweet potato which are fried and boiled and sold alongside meat and vegetables at food stalls and on the streets are an ideal solution to meet this demand.
In addition, many consumers care mostly about the quality of foods that they purchase and consume.
Sweet potato appears to satisfy consumers’ nutritional needs, because of its high nutritional value.
Specifically, sweet potato contains carbohydrate, food fibers, vitamin C, and traces of other vitamins and minerals which is ideal for people with scurvy, intestinal upsets, and malnutrition.
On the supply-side, sweet potato farmers are increasing production in response to the increased orders from the point of sale.
From being a family farm, farmers are now hiring extra labour from the community to help in the farm because the intention is to increase production.
Sweet potato farming is labour-intensive so more labour are being utilized by the farmers.
Country buyers are those people who buy at the farm unit, package the sweet potato, and transport them to the point of sale.
And country buyers are constantly bringing sweet potato to the market.
Given the fuel crisis, criminal activities, and lawlessness in the country, the country buyers face quite an increased risk in their business.
This was evident during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in 2020 and the Black Wednesday in 2024, which show the loss of substantial quantities of sweet potato along the supply chain.
The worst reality is that the country buyers are not insured against loss of business though there is opportunity for them to take out insurance premiums.
Risks pose greater economic challenges and only to country buyers but down to the farm unit as well.
The way forward requires constructive effort to upscale sweet potato farming units and improved supply chain management.
The DAL and NARI should provide training programme with an emphasis on technology transfer, information exchange, and capacity building in the sweet potato sector.
Further assistance is required to ensure country buyers are insured and an agriculture buffer fund is created.
Specifically, the buffer fund will help cushion price fluctuations driven by cost-push inflation and economic crisis.
The current fuel crisis is a testament to the need for the establishment of an agriculture buffer fund as it will provide the impetus for sweet potato and other agricultural commodity market.
Furthermore, increased and consistent supply of sweet potato and other food crops to the market is necessary to improve food security, generate economic productivity, boost national income, increase import substitution, and contribute to the development of the country.
The onus is on the Government to create the legislative framework to drive sustainability and growth in the food crop sector.

Mike Haro