The Irish love affair with the potato seems to be continuing with the latest figures on potato consumption showing a €162 million expenditure on them last year.
Bord Bia, the Irish food board, has released figures for 2005 which show an 8 per cent increase on the previous year.
The survey also showed that consumers are buying potatoes more frequently and are spending more money per annum on the humble spud. The average household spent €122.60 per annum on potatoes compared with €116.30 in 2004.
It was also found that the prepacked potato market has seen the largest increase in terms of value. This segment last year accounted for 97 per cent of the overall market volume with more households buying into the convenience of a smaller pack size.
Consumers described new season potatoes as a "treat" with a superior taste. The queen variety, with its white skin and creamy white flesh, was the preferred early eating potato.
New season potatoes account for 13 per cent of total potato production, grown mainly in Dublin and Wexford.
There has been a drop in the yields of new potatoes this season because of the late planting season and dry weather during the growing season.
As a result, farmers were receiving more than €200 a tonne more for the crop than last year and €620-€670 a tonne for their queen variety, which has now almost been cleared from the fields.