The potato production continues to be affected by the persistent lack of rain in the high Andean regions of the country. So, The accumulated production until July of this year was reduced by 13.1%, registering 4 million 269,295 tons, according to the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (Midagri).
According to said ministry, this was due to the decrease in planted areas, which fell by 10.6%, and lower yields, which contracted by 2.7%.
In the first five months of this year, the production of this tuber experienced a constant decline: in January it fell by 11.37%, in February by 15.93%, in March by 7.76%, in April by a drastic 30, 8% and in May 15.87%. However, in the two subsequent months a slight improvement was evident, with an increase of 8.32% in June and an increase of 13.57% in July.
Sowing also fell
According to Midagri data, the balance at the end of the 2022-2023 agricultural campaign recorded the planting of 321,387 hectares of potatoes, which figure is 7.1% lower than the average planting of the last five campaigns (345,864 hectares) and , if compared to the 2021-2022 campaign, there is a 6.7% drop in planted areas, which is manifested in an alert situation (red light).
These lower plantings were mainly due to the drought due to the lack of rain in the central and southern mountain regions of the country, in addition to the high costs of inputs, which limited the usual plantings of producers.
The previous campaign showed an advance of 92.9% with respect to the historical national average potato area. Planting in the eight main departments (Huánuco, Junín, Ayacucho, Lima, Ica, Apurímac, Huancavelica and Pasco) that supply this product to the Great Wholesale Market of Lima (GMML) revealed a level of alert due to the smaller planted areas 5.8% compared to the historical average.
Rising prices
According to Midagri, the average farm price of potatoes recorded in 2022 was quoted at S/1.37 per kilogram, the value of which was 39.9% higher than that recorded in 2021. Between January and July 2023, the average price was S/1.62 per kilogram, which is 26.7% higher than that registered in the same period last year.
In contrast, the average prices in the GMML, between January and August 2023, were S/1.08 per kilogram, which is 14.1% lower than that registered in the same period of 2022. According to Midagri, This reduction is attributed to a greater seasonal supply due to the delay in seasonal harvests, which has resulted in adequate supply in the Lima market.
Source: Larepublica

Alia is a professional author and journalist, working at 247 news agency. She writes on various topics from economy news to general interest pieces, providing readers with relevant and informative content. With years of experience, she brings a unique perspective and in-depth analysis to her work.